


What Matters Most (The Good Parts Version)

by greeneggs101



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fencing, Implied Relationships, Inspired by Princess Bride, Kidnapping, M/M, Miracles, Pirates, Temporary Character Death, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-01-26 07:49:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101/pseuds/greeneggs101
Summary: When I was young my Master told me a story when I was sick. A story with adventure, keyblade fights, torture, disaster, true love, miracles....A fairy tale, to be certain.But for some reason, that fairy tale stuck with me. In searching for the whole story, I found that the tale my Master had woven for me was just the “good parts” version of a much longer and dryer satire regarding the three kingdoms of yesteryear... But the story is still a good one, so I decided to write down the good parts for future generations. And so, herein lies the tale of Prince Riku, his beloved Sora, and their friends, foes, frenemies and the occasional R.O.U.S.Princess Bride inspired AU.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 136
Kudos: 138





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a long time. This was what was supposed to be my big bang project, but I decided to post it on my own for various reasons. 
> 
> This Princess Bride AU is a mix of book and movie inspiration. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite books/movies and I had the weird idea to do a SoRiku version late last year. I hope you enjoy what has come out of that (really rather silly) idea. 
> 
> Huge shoutout to [ Fireborn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn) for the beta read! Making my fics better one em-dash, huff, chuckle, and comma at a time! 😂 And I really can't thank her enough for it. ❤❤❤
> 
> Also a huge thank you to [ homodachi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/homodachi/profile) for just being around when I needed someone to vent to while writing this 😂😁❤
> 
> And a huge thank you to [ Kaoru_chibimaster ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster) for the encouragement while writing!! ❤❤❤

When I was a young lad, my foster Mom would tell a story when I got sick. He read it from a thick tome, nearly twice as big as the books of (useless) prophecy he eventually gave to my foster siblings. I hated the sight of that large book, having been warned from Ira and Invi on what it contained. 

“Not the kissing book!” I would cry out. 

“Yes, the kissing book!” Mom would reply (he had six foster kids and he insisted that we all call him Mom. We didn’t question it). “Now pipe down before you make your cold worse, Luxu.” 

And as I did have a cold, in addition to the flu, and maybe a slight case of chickenpox, it wasn’t as if I could go anywhere. So I laid there. Stuck. Forced to listen to this ridiculous story about a prince forced to marry another prince for politics while a pirate tries to crash the wedding.

But of course, when you’re young, you tend to get sucked into things pretty easily. 

“It's not just kissing,” Mom reasoned, already pulling up a chair and skipping past all of the boring introduction parts. “It has an adventure, keyblade battles, death, torture, true love, miracles!” He would sigh and lean back into the chair, and though his face was mostly hidden behind the book itself, I just knew he was probably rolling his eyes. “Kissing book.” He scoffed. 

The story was good enough and certainly distracted me from the constant aching and scratchy feeling of being sick. But that was when I was young and I had all but forgotten it until quite recently.

Now, seated around the round, worn dining table years later, my now-adult siblings and I tried to reforge a bond we all wanted to rekindle in our Mom’s unexpected absence. I struggled to remember anything that I might still have in common with these near-strangers. But this was probably something that Mom would have exposed us all to. 

“Hey, did Mom ever read you guys this story?” I began. “From this really thick book—”

“_What Matters Most_?” Invi guessed. 

“By T. Nomura?” Ava chimed in. 

Of course, those two remembered it. 

“Oh yeah,” Gula tapped his fingers on the table absently. “That weird story. The one with the two princes and the pirate. And the swordswoman and the fire mage.” 

“With the R.O.U.S’s,” Aced recalled. 

“Why bring this up, Luxu?” Ira questions, suspicious of everything I did. 

“Hey,” I raised my hands. “I thought the whole point of this get together was to reconnect. You guys had that big fight a few years ago, and I kinda… you know—”

“Disappeared off the face of the earth?” Though Aced framed it like a question, it’s clear he and I both knew the answer. 

“Yeah, that.” I raised a finger in the air. “I just thought it might be something we all had in common. I mostly remember it as the kissing book.” The thought of all the kissing wasn’t as repulsive as it had been when I was young, but I still stuck my tongue out. Something about reconnecting with my foster siblings brought out the childish part of me. 

“Really?” Ava leaned in, putting a finger to her chin in thought. “I don’t remember all that much kissing in it.” 

“There was mostly keyblade fighting, right?” Ira questioned, finally getting into it. 

“I thought it had more politics in it,” Invi countered. 

Upon reflection, we discovered that all six of us had different recollections of the same book. In an effort to figure out who was right (because of course, it became a competition at this point) we set off to find the original. 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a book you could simply find in the library. The original book our Mom had read from was mysteriously gone. Any librarian or bookkeeper we asked had very little idea what we were talking about (especially when questioned about six different recollections of the same book.) 

After a year of searching, following every possible lead, we finally found it hidden in some tiny backwater French village. The bookshop owner had completely forgotten about it, but one of the local girls instantly recognized the general outline of the story and easily pointed us in the right direction. 

Excited by our new purchase, we took it home. This was it. The moment where we would figure out who was right. 

Well… we were all right. 

And all terribly,  _ terribly _ wrong.

You see, reader, what our Master had read to us was indeed “ _ What Matters Most _ ,” by T. Nomura, but only the ‘good parts.’ Because the story was not, in fact, a fairy tale, an adventure, or a  _ ‘kissing book _ .’ 

It was, in fact, a satire. 

And a very long and boring satire at that. 

(Invi and Ira didn’t think so, but what do they know?)

But still, we thought the ‘good parts’ of the story were clever and interesting enough to write down, and so I was chosen to abridge the original story into just the good parts version. Why was I chosen? 

Ira said that because I brought it up to begin with, I’d get to be the one to write it all down. 

So, buckle up, grab your favorite tea, hot chocolate, and maybe a box of tissues. 

Oh, think you won’t cry?  _ As if!  _

And so, though the words never appeared in the original script we all agreed that it didn’t seem right to start the story without them: 

_ Once upon a time... _


	2. Best Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Sora were best friends, about to start on a grand adventure...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy! :D

“Hey wait up!” There was heavy breathing behind him. “It’s not a race, Riku!” The heavy breathing broke off into a winded chuckle. 

“You’re just saying that because you’re losing!” Riku turned to give his opponent an easy grin before turning back around and gritting his teeth. His legs strained with what he was pushing them to do. Sora was wrong. This was totally a race! “C’mon, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that!”  _ I love you. I know you can do it! _

But he couldn’t say that out loud. Emotions were messy. Better help Sora be better by being his competition. 

They had always been like this. Always one-upping each other. Riku could outsmart and outmuscle Sora at any opportunity. But when it came to ingenuity and scrappiness? Sora had him beat every time. 

Suddenly Riku was left in the dust as Sora dashed ahead of him, keyblade in hand and fast as lightning as he quickly gravitated towards the glint of something that hung in the tree that signified the finish line. He used his keyblade to flip around the branch a few times before landing. When he turned, his grin was as bright as the sun overhead and just a tiny bit cheeky. 

Yeah, Sora was always the best when it came to flat out  _ cheating.  _

“Who said it wasn’t a race?” Riku huffed as he reached the top of the hill, touching a hand to the tree out of habit. “I win anyway.”

“What?!” Sora exclaimed. “Says who? First one to the tree is the winner!”

“First one to touch the tree trunk is the winner,” Riku smirked. “Or did you forget that part?” 

“That—” Sora cut himself off, frowning in thought. “You just made that up!”

Riku laughed at the expression on that face. A mixture of confusion, frustration, and a little annoyance. It was cute. 

Riku lived for that face. And any expression that came with it. 

“No, I didn’t!” Riku's smirk shifted to a grin and he ruffled brown hair. “You just can’t remember in that small brain of yours.” 

“Riku!” Sora huffed one more time before he couldn’t keep up the act anymore and he burst into a grin. “Fine. You win.” 

“That’s what I thought,” Riku said, leaning against the tree. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sora leap onto the branch he had airstepped to and untangle whatever shiny thing had caught his attention. “What have you got there?”

“Oh, uh well…” Sora blushed and put whatever it was into his pocket. “Nothing.” 

“Sora,” Riku grumbled. The brunet couldn’t lie. To anyone. “I told you before. You’re not that witty, so just show me what—”

“It’s nothing! Really!” Sora backed up, apparently forgetting that he was just balancing on a tree branch. He slipped and fell.

In an instant, Riku caught him, easily carrying Sora’s weight in his arms. Sky blue eyes looked a bit dazed for a moment before Sora’s cheeks reddened and he seemed to figure out what had happened. “Hehe, nice catch Riku!” 

Riku sighed and reluctantly sat the young man back on his feet. “Yeah, well. Hopefully, keyblade training is gonna give you more grace than that.” He then poked Sora’s chest. “Where’d you learn that new trick anyway?”

Sora blinked, confused for a moment, but then offered a grin. “Ven talked about it in a letter—”

“Master Ven,” Riku corrected automatically. “You have to get used to giving him his formal title while training, Sora.”

Sora rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Ven and I are friends, and he said to call him Ven.” 

Riku sighed, a little jealous that Sora could make friends with anyone so easily. But he supposed that Sora wouldn’t be Sora if he didn’t. “So, Ven just…wrote about how to do a new technique in a letter?”

“Hmm… Not exactly. But he described it as something we would work on in a year or two. But it sounded easy. You just sorta… focus on something that draws your eye, and then use your mana to sorta rush at it?” Sora frowned, looking down. “I’m not explaining it right, but it’s super easy. I promise.” 

Riku wondered if things only sounded easy to Sora because it made sense in that weird brain of his. Perfecting a move like that would be something Riku would have to practice day and night until he could do it better than Sora. 

But his best friend could always just visualize something like that and make it work. It was amazing to see in action. 

Not that Riku had a habit of letting Sora know things like that.

“So what did you use to focus on?”

The redness that was now heating up Sora’s face was also endearing to see, the brunet slowly realizing that Riku had brought the conversation right back to whatever Sora had hidden in his pocket. 

After a long moment of hesitation, Sora let out a sigh. “Just… a trinket I found.”

“Just a trinket?” Riku grinned. “So why won’t you let me see it?”

“Because,” Sora pouted. “C’mon Riku, can’t I have a secret?”

Riku frowned, glancing away. Sora never kept secrets from him. “Is it something some girl got you?”

“Huh?” Sora sounded confused. “No… why would you say that? When would I have time to even talk to a girl, Riku?”

“I dunno. I don’t pay attention to everything you do.” A lie, but Riku was always better at those. 

“You don’t?” 

Was it just him, or did Sora sound put out? 

After an awkward moment of silence, Riku finally dared to look Sora in the eye. “I was just teasing. I always watch out for everything you do.” 

The smile that overtook Sora’s face was blinding, and Riku felt his heartbeat speed up. Hurriedly, he looked away again before his own blush could be detected. 

“We leave tomorrow,” Riku stated, running a hand through his hair absently, “You excited to start training? I know I am!” He had been excited ever since Master Terra had come to town on a mission and decided, for some reason, to name Riku his apprentice. And Riku’s excitement had grown exponentially when Master Terra’s friend Master Ventus had offered the same apprenticeship to Sora. They would be leaving together, just as Riku had always hoped. Both of them headed out for grand adventures at the royal castle. A place far bigger than their tiny home. 

He looked over the small seaside village where they had spent their entire lives. Fifteen years of memories easily captured in one picture. The sun glinted off the cresting waves as the tide rolled in. Tiny specks that dotted the water indicated the watermen that made their living hoisting oysters and clams from the shoals, while the fishermen ventured further out to bring in bigger catches of sea bass and flounder. People milled about in the streets below, shopping and selling and gossiping. 

Riku couldn’t say he would miss it. 

“Yeah. Though I guess I’m gonna be a little homesick.” Sora let out a sigh. “But I’m excited to start a new adventure. Future Keyblade Masters.” He summoned his keyblade again, the silver blade near blinding in the afternoon light. “It’s just like we always dreamed about, Riku. And we’re going to do it together!” 

Riku felt his mouth break out into a smile at Sora’s enthusiasm. “Yeah.” He reached out a hand to summon his own weapon, a blade of dark blues and blood reds. When he looked over to the brunet, he found Sora looking so… happy. 

Now. He had to do it now. 

“Hey Sora,” He paused until blue eyes glanced over at him, and then he suddenly lost his nerve. “Why did you want to become a keyblade master?"

Not what he really wanted to ask. 

“Because you wanted to be one,” Sora answered easily. “We do everything together.” 

Riku bit his lip. “That’s not a very good reason Sora. Keyblade training is—”

“I know that,” Sora let out a sigh. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to become one because I want to stick by your side forever. Someone has to keep an eye out for you.” He then offered Riku a grin. “What better person than your best friend?”

“Right.” Sora was always gonna be his best friend. 

Just his best friend. 

“And maybe because I want to be able to protect you if I need to.” Sora paused for a moment, staring wistfully into the distance. Then he shook his head. “So why do you want to become a Keyblade Master?”

Riku bit his lip, thinking on what he had responded when Prince Terra had asked him the question. 

_ “To protect what matters most,” Riku had responded. “Sora...I have to be able to find the strength to protect him always.”  _

Riku clenched his fist. “It’s the same for me, I suppose. I want to always protect everyone. Especially you.” He dared to look up at Sora, begging that the brunet would get it. Would understand.

Blue eyes were shocked for a moment before the other boy reached out and grabbed Riku’s clenched fist, holding it gently until Riku finally forced himself to relax, releasing the tension in his hand and clutching back. 

Sora stared up at into his eyes, trusting. “C’mon, Riku. I thought you were stronger than that.” 

Riku gasped. Did… Did that mean Sora— 

“I love you.” The words spilled out of Riku’s mouth, but he found that now he said them, he couldn’t stop the rest from coming out. “I’ve always loved you. I want to become the strongest keyblade master ever so I can protect you from everything. You’re what matters most to me.” 

Sora’s face steadily grew pinker as Riku spoke, but he kept his firm grip on Riku’s hand. “Well… I hope that’s a title you don’t mind sharing. Because you’re not the only one with something worth protecting.” He huffed out a laugh and pulled Riku’s hand so they were standing chest to chest, staring into each other’s eyes. “I love you.” 

“Guess we’re stuck with each other then,” Riku whispered, already leaning in. 

As always, Sora met him halfway. 

\---

_ Hello readers, Luxu here. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m interjecting at this crucial point. The two love birds just confessed their love to each other. Happy ending right?  _

_ As if! _

_ As I’m sure you can tell, we’re only in chapter one. We've got a whole lot of story to go before we can reach happily ever after. Instead, I’m here to tell you that kissing is a major feature in this book. However, I will be glossing over most of it. It adds nothing to the good parts version of this story and was mostly added in when the original text was translated for audiences more used to heavy romance in their adventure stories.  _

_ Sorry, but if you wanted the five-cent paperback romance version of this book, you should have hoped that Aced or Ava wrote it. Instead, you’re stuck with me. _

\----

They left their tiny village the next day, hand in hand, a lifetime of meager belongings in their backpacks, and ready to start a new adventure. After an uneventful journey through the forest and farmland of the Kingdom of Heart, they finally arrived at the gates of the town just beyond the outskirts of the castle. 

Riku felt Sora squeeze his hand firmly. 

“You ready?” 

Riku nodded and squeezed Sora’s hand back. “With you by my side, I’m ready for anything.” 

Instantly, Sora’s face reddened and he let out a laugh. “That was so cheesy.” 

Riku grinned. “It’s true though.”

Sora’s laugh trailed off into a pleased grin and they entered the town together, taking in the new sights. There were more shops and merchant stalls than their small village could have ever supported. The people milling about the streets spoke the same language, but Riku felt as if they might as well have been in another country altogether. And best of all, there wasn’t the smell of rotting fish lingering in the air. 

Maybe a slight smell of manure, but Riku would take it. Just because it was different. 

“Um, excuse me.” 

Sora and Riku both turned at the voice, their hands letting go of each other. They saw a young girl about their age, tucking a strand of dark black hair behind her ears. 

“I—uh… do you know the way to the castle?” 

The girl avoided their gaze, blue eyes darting around them and flinching whenever another merchant shouted out an advertisement for their wares.

“Nope!” Sora answered. “But we’re headed that way as well. We can all figure out how to get there together!” 

The girl glanced up at Sora, then at Riku who offered a smile and a nod. A grin broke out over her face. “That would be great. I’m afraid I’ve been feeling lost since arriving here.” 

Sora swung his hands behind his head. “You mean here in town?”

“No. More like here in this Kingdom. I’m from the Kingdom of Light, Radi—”

“Radiant Garden,” Riku finished. The girl nodded in agreement. 

“Wow! You came a long way!” Sora exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to see Radiant Garden. What brought you to the Kingdom of Heart?”

“Oh.” The girl flushed. “I’m actually, Master Aq—er. Princess Aqua’s, or—um— I’m her keyblade apprentice!”

The girl rubbed her cheek as if trying to dispel the red color that had settled there. “My name is Xion.” 

Riku held out his hand. “I’m Riku. And this chattermouth is Sora.” 

“Hey! Riku!” Sora turned and offered Xion a grin. “He says I’m the chatterbox, but just wait till you bring up some topic he knows a lot about.” 

Xion laughed and shook Riku’s hand. “Are you guys… the other apprentices?”

“Yeah!” 

The girl’s shoulders relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted. “Oh good. Er.. you guys are from this kingdom right? Could you— I mean… Everything just feels so different!” 

Riku chuckled. “Well.. we didn’t grow up here in town, but maybe we can help.”

Xion grinned and launched immediately into her questions. “How are keyblades passed down? In my kingdom, it’s only through blood, and I was so confused when the Princess here said I could be her apprentice! I didn’t even know I could wield a keyblade till she said the magic words thing. And… I also read somewhere that the princess isn’t related to the king? How does that work? I mean… before the coup, the royal title was passed down through blood. I don’t—er…” 

Xion trailed off nervously and looked up at Riku and Sora, “I… I’m asking too much, aren’t I?” 

Riku chuckled. He never thought that the rules of inheritance in the Kingdom of Heart would be confusing. But he supposed to someone who came from a place where lineage was passed down by blood... “I can see how what we do would be confusing. Basically you know our motto? Did Princess Aqua say it? ‘May your heart be your guiding key’.” 

“We basically listen to our heart when it comes to decision making. So… our connections to others are based on what our heart feels, not blood.” Sora crossed his arms in thought. “I mean, sometimes it can be through blood too. But if a son isn’t right for his father’s job, you shouldn’t force him to do it. Better to find someone with a more suitable heart.” 

“Right.” Riku agreed with a nod. “Also, King Eraqus didn’t have any children, so he adopted his own keyblade apprentices Terra and Ventus as his own kids. But… there was another apprentice who trained with them. Aqua. I guess his Majesty thought she was better suited for the crown than either of his adopted sons. So she became the crown princess.” 

“But…” Xion’s brow furrowed as they continued to walk towards the castle. “She married Terra, right? The King’s oldest adopted son?”

Riku shrugged. “It’s just coincidence they fell in love.”

He felt Sora reach out and grab his hand. “Some people are lucky to fall in love with their best friend.”

Riku grasped Sora’s hand tight. “Right.” 

Xion glanced between them with a small grin. “It’s definitely a bit confusing, but I guess I can get used to it. Besides, our own method got a little… thrown out the window a while ago.”

“Right.” Riku had heard about the coup in whispers when he and Sora were young. Information was slow to arrive at their small fishing village. Something about a group of scientists and guards leading a coup against the Queen Regent and the young princess. By the time the story reached their village, the coup had been long over. Now the Kingdom of Light was governed by a man named Ansem, who had sworn to protect the crown for the Princess. A princess that had been missing for nearly 7 years already. 

Xion offered a shrug. “Yeah. I was actually sort relieved when Aqua offered me an apprenticeship here with her. Things were getting kind of tense at home. I live, well, used to live in an orphanage. It’s starting to get overcrowded.” Her expression shifted into a sad frown. “And yet I feel so homesick.” 

Riku saw Sora’s concerned look out of the corner of his eye. The shorter boy slipped his hand out of Riku's grasp to wrap his arms around Xion gently. 

“We’re all open to families of heart here,” Sora said as they pulled away. “If you want, we’ll be your family here. Soon this can be your home too!” 

Xion looked up a grin overcoming her features again. “Okay. I can’t wait! Thank you! I was so nervous this morning about not fitting in.”

“We’re all fish out of water,” Riku said, reaching out to clap her shoulder. “So we’ll just have to navigate these new waters together.” The other two nodded, and Riku grinned back before turning, trying to find a road to the castle doors. 

Then, he suddenly felt a gaze on him. One that sent a shiver of discomfort down his body. Riku jerked his head around. What was that?

Looking around, Riku spotted a figure in a long black cloak lingering in the crowd, out of place on the bright summer day. Nobody else seemed to notice him, everyone just walked around the black cloak without a second glance. Riku couldn’t make out a face, but he felt that the dark gaze he felt was coming from inside that creepy cloak. 

“Riku, what’s—”

“The Prince!” 

The shout from one of the castle guards distracted all three of them and Riku turned away from the creepy robed figure. 

There seemed to be an influx of castle guards coming from down one of the roads, many of them armed and panicked. 

“Search the town! She has to be here somewhere!”

“Head toward the ports.” 

“Search the skies!”

The guards' evident urgency caused disorder among the townspeople as well, and soon Riku, Sora and Xion were shuffled and squished between people going every which way. 

“What’s going on?” Xion shouted. 

“I don’t—” Riku jerked around again, but the robed figure was gone. Was that who was causing all this panic? “I don’t know. But they said something about the prince.” He grabbed the back of Xion’s cloak and Sora’s hand, using his larger body to muscle his way through the crowd and leading both of them to the castle doors. 

The guard there looked more than a little nervous until Riku announced that they were the new keyblade apprentices of the royal family. The guard shifted uncomfortably, clearly not sure whether or not to believe them. Riku and Sora summoned their blades, Xion doing so as well after a moment of hesitation. 

The guard looked between the three of them, a look of pity crossing his features. “It’s not really a good time, the royal family is—”

“Let them in, Demyx,” a familiar voice called out. 

Riku glanced behind the guard, finding Prince Terra coming out of the castle door, a look of disbelief and sadness on his face. 

Riku felt a pang of uncertainty. If Terra wasn’t the prince that the guards were worried about then… What had happened to Prince Ventus? 

Terra led the three of them into a large audience chamber where the King and Princess Aqua were waiting, both of them sharing Terra’s look of confusion and sadness. 

King Eraqus glanced up at the three of them and looked to Terra for an explanation. 

Terra gestured at Riku. “This is the apprentice I told you about. Riku.”

“And my apprentice, Xion,” Aqua added, walking over to give the girl a look that wasn’t quite a smile. “I’m glad you made it safely.” 

Xion nodded, though she glanced between the members of the royal family. “Then… Where’s Sora’s Keyblade Master?”

Riku reached out and took Sora’s hand, his heart rate spiking in fear. The rest of the family seemed to be in good health then—

“Ventus has been cursed.” King Eraqus’s declaration rang across the room. “We found him, not that long ago. He is sleeping and cannot be woken.” The King’s hand shook. 

“What?” Sora’s voice was quiet with disbelief, but his next word was louder. “How?!”

“We don’t know.” Aqua’s voice was even quieter. “He was fine this morning. And then...” she trailed off with a pained grimace. 

Xion almost reached out to her keyblade master, but stopped at the last moment. “I… I’m sorry.”

Aqua looked over and tried to offer another attempt at a smile. “I’m very sorry that this is your first day as an official apprentice. I— Why don’t I have one of the maids show you to your room? I will be by, well… Perhaps tomorrow we can share breakfast.”

“Please don’t rush,” Xion stated, even as she looked eager to leave the awkward conversation. “I— I understand how awful it is to lose a friend. Take as long as you need.” She bowed and followed one of the maids lingering at the doorway, disappearing down the hallway. 

Riku bit the inside of his cheek in thought, then reached over to grasp Sora’s hand. “The curse. Is it something that can be broken?”

“We’re looking for answers,” Terra answered, wrapping an arm around Aqua’s waist when she walked back over to stand next to him. “We heard of another kingdom far across the sea experiencing a similar curse, but it was believed that the being behind that particular curse had been dealt with years ago.”

“Perhaps she is not as gone as we hoped,” Eraqus stated quietly. “Or this is another culprit altogether.” 

Riku observed Terra and the rest of the royal family. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man who had been a stranger a few years ago. Terra and Ven had just been made Keyblade Masters themselves when, almost three years ago, they had arrived in the small fishing village Riku and Sora had called home, looking to defeat the small outcropping of shadow monsters that had started to appear at night. Terra had seen Riku and Sora trying to protect some of the younger kids from the monsters. 

Terra had made Riku his apprentice, while Ven had immediately bonded with Sora. The two young boys hadn’t known that they would be apprenticing under the princes themselves until much later when Terra had explained their apprenticeship to their families. It had been planned for Sora and Riku to join Terra and Ventus at the castle once the older men returned from several planned diplomatic missions to neighboring kingdoms. Meanwhile, the boys received notes and tips on how to summon and wield their new keyblades, and they practiced nearly every day. 

Riku had been so excited to receive the letter that it was time. Their training would officially start. He and Sora had made so many plans. 

Plans that Riku felt were now falling apart. Ventus was under a curse, which meant— 

“So, my master…” Sora trailed off and Riku reached over to squeeze his new boyfriend's hand. 

“While I am sure that a solution can be found promptly,” the King began. “Ven is currently indisposed.”

“Is there another keyblade master who can train Sora?” Riku questioned, searching for a way to salvage the situation. “Someone who can take on another temporarily?” He looked between Terra and Aqua, then the King himself, but they all shook their heads.

“Terra and Aqua are inundated with other duties outside of their own apprentices. And I’m afraid I am too old to take on another,” Eraqus sounded truly sorry for the unfortunate turn of events. 

“I’m sorry—” Aqua began, but Sora quickly interrupted her. 

“It’s okay, your highness!” Sora’s grin was bright, though Riku could see the lie behind it. “I wouldn’t want to cause someone else to falter in their own training. I… I understand that you would have other duties. Running a kingdom isn’t easy, right?” Sora summoned his blade, something he had been focusing on ever since he had gained the ability. “I don’t want to be a bother.” 

“You’re not a bother, Sora,” Riku denied it quickly. Sora could never be a bother. 

“I—” Sora let out a sigh. “I still don’t want to be a burden to someone else.” He then took a deep breath. “I’ll just have to seek my fortune elsewhere. Maybe I can go find a cure for Ventus!” 

“What?” Riku turned away from the royal family and turned to Sora instead. “Sora… we were going to—”

“You’ll have to become the strongest keyblade wielder without me, Riku.” Sora leaned in and cupped Riku’s face in his hand. “I’ll still find a way to learn and train. But I can’t do it here. I’ll just be in the way.” 

“Then I’ll go—”

Sora was already shaking his head. “Or maybe I’ll spend a few years back home. They can always use another fisherman. But this is your dream, Riku. It’s everything you ever talked about.” 

Riku blushed and glanced over at the royal family in embarrassment at having his dreams laid bare, but they were all politely looking away. “Sora—I can go back to the village with you. Or wherever you else you want to go. My dreams—”

“You should follow them.” Sora offered a smile. “And I’ll follow mine. This isn’t goodbye, Riku. I love you. I will return to you.” He leaned in just close enough to press his forehead to Riku’s. “I promise.” 

Riku gritted his teeth, wishing he was less embarrassed about showing his emotions. Otherwise, he would kiss Sora then and there. But for now, he pressed his forehead against Sora’s just as firmly, trying to put everything he felt into the contact while holding Sora close. He hated it when the brunet was right sometimes. This  _ was _ everything he had ever dreamed of. An hour ago, he would have never entertained the notion of giving it up. 

But he would have. If Sora had even indicated that it was what he wanted, he would have given it all up. Go back to their home in the fishing village. Take up the job that his father and his grandfather and his grandfather’s grandfather had of gathering the oysters that grew in the bay. Waited for Sora to come back from a long day of fishing out at sea. He would have done it. 

He would have hated it. But for Sora… he would have done it. 

It didn’t stop the relief that ran through him when he realized that he wouldn’t have to. 

“Besides. You going back? A life like that would have killed you,” Sora murmured as they broke away. “I know that. So let me figure it out while you stay here and pursue what you need to. We’re just taking different paths to end up in the same place.” 

There was a quiet cough from behind them and Riku felt his face heat up. He tried to avoid everyone else gaze and he heard Sora giggle quietly beside him. 

“There’re keyblade wielders across the sea right?” Sora asked. “In the Kingdom of Light, right? Radiant Garden? Xion said there was.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard that the royal family there passed down the blade as a form of familial inheritance, mostly among the royalty.” Eraqus frowned. “But I’m afraid that the royal family was completely wiped out a number of years ago in a coup.”

“But there might be a former noble master there?” Terra asked. “Or someone else?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Sora nodded with a sense of resolution. “Right. I’ll head there. The worst they can do is say no, right?” 

“I will write you a letter of introduction,” Eraqus decided, already pulling out a pen and a piece of parchment from the nearby desk.

Riku turned back to him. “You still don’t have to go alone. I could—”

“It’s not that I want to leave you,” Sora admitted. “My heart aches at the thought. But we made a promise, right? To be the strongest so we can protect each other? You have a master here to teach you.” He then grinned. “Besides, this is just temporary. Maybe there will be different books in Radiant Garden that can tell us how to revive Ven. Then I can come back and we’ll be together again!” 

Riku couldn’t help but let out a huff at Sora’s optimism, and after a long moment, he nodded. “Okay. But you better write. And in handwriting better than the usual chicken scratch.” 

Sora let out a laugh. “Okay, deal.” 

That night, Sora helped Riku settle into his new room (that should have been shared) while also packing provisions for his own journey. Eraqus had mentioned that an Atlantean trade ship would leave for Radiant Garden in three days, which left Sora and Riku very little time to say goodbye to each other as it took two days of travel to reach the port. They stayed up the entire night talking and holding each other. 

At dawn, Sora gave Riku one last gift. 

“It’s a promise. I will see you again.” Sora leaned in, pressing his forehead to Riku’s. When he pulled away, he held out a shiny silver necklace with a crown pendant.

“This is what I used to practice airstepping. I don’t know if you remember, but you gave—” 

“I remember,” Riku reassured him. “I gave it to you when we were kids. I’m surprised you still have it.” 

Sora laughed. “You gave it to me! Of course, I kept it.” Now he pressed it into Riku’s hand. “So now it’s your turn to keep it. Until I come back.” 

Riku nodded, closing his fingers around the necklace before wrapping his arms around Sora one last time. Then, as Sora departed the castle, Riku waved from the castle wall, his hand still raised long after Sora was out of sight. 

“He’ll be okay.” 

Riku let out a sigh, finally letting his hand fall. “I know he will. I’m just—” He cut himself off, realizing that he was being much too familiar with his master, and the prince consort on top of that. He blushed and quickly averted his eyes. “It’s nothing, your highness.” 

“You can just call me Terra,” the taller brunet offered a grin. “I’m still not used to the whole royalty thing anyway. Even if I was raised in the castle.” 

Riku huffed out a grin of his own. “That must have been an interesting experience.” 

“It mostly consisted of Aqua and I fighting until we were fifteen,” Terra admitted. “Then hormones happened.” 

Riku chuckled. “Yeah, I can get that.” 

“I saw that last night,” Terra laughed while Riku felt his face heat up again. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about! Aqua and I were just kind of surprised. We didn’t think you and Sora were like—”

“We weren’t,” Riku admitted. “At least… not until a few days ago. Right before we left the Islands.” 

“Oh.” Terra’s laughter ended. “I’m truly sorry then. I don’t know what I would do if I was separated from Aqua now.”

“I know,” It was going to suck for a while. But Riku believed Sora with all his heart. It was only temporary. 

Starting the next day, Riku threw himself into training with Master Terra. The days blurred but it helped him keep his mind off of Sora. He had made a promise. To become the strongest keyblade wielder. He had to give it his all. 

It was a week later when he entered the kitchens, ready to start another day of training. But something seemed off. 

Aqua looked in his direction before looking away quickly. Xion, his fellow apprentice and a usual chatterbox this early in the morning refused to even meet his gaze. 

“What’s wrong? Something in my hair?” Riku tried to joke, but even he could tell it fell flat. The longer the silence went on, the stronger the ache in his heart grew. “What’s—”

“Riku.” 

He turned at his master's voice. “Terra? What’s—” Riku trailed off at the sight of a letter in Terra’s hand. He could just make out the Atlantean letterhead before Terra’s hand clenched, crumpling the letter. 

The feeling worsened. “Terra… What’s with the letter—”

“There’s nothing you could have done,” Terra began, reaching out to lay a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “You have to know that. There’s nothing—”

“Could have done what?!” Riku ducked out of Terra’s hold. He didn’t like how sketchy they were being. “You’re acting like—”

The Atlantean letterhead. “Is this about the ship that Sora was on?” The feeling spiked and Riku was finding it hard to breathe. “What happened? Did it meet a storm? Is Sora—” He couldn’t finish. 

Terra looked away. “There’s this pirate. We didn’t even know they were in the area, just rumors about how ruthless they are, but the one fact that we do know is that they never leave survivors on the ships they capture. Ever.” He struggled to look Riku in the eye. “They captured the ship Sora was on. I’m sorry, Riku… but Sora’s name was on the list of the d— the dead.” 

_ No… _

Riku shook his head. The words didn’t make sense. 

_ No. _

Sora… Sora couldn’t be… He would have fought. He could have swum back to shore. 

List of the  _ dead. _

The Atlanteans don’t know Sora. They wouldn’t—

_ Never _ leaves survivors. 

Sora can’t be—

_ No! _

“Riku, I’m—”

“It’s gonna be—”

“Riku, you need to brea—”

He shook his head and clenching his eyes shut. It was wrong, wrong,  _ WRONG! _ It wasn’t happening. This wasn’t—couldn’t— 

He broke out of the arms holding him, not sure who was hugging him but knowing that he had to get away. 

Sora  _ wasn’t— _

Blindly, he ran for the stairs, retreating to his room. 

With every step he made up the stairs, the words settled in more and more. 

List of the dead. _ Dead. _

Sora was dead. Gone forever. Never his to tease or talk with or hold or kiss again. Gone. 

Dead. 

\---

_ Bit of a twist there. When my Master told me this story, he had already told it to my five foster siblings and we all disagreed about this point in the story. Frankly, I thought this was a fantastic twist for T. Nomura to put at the beginning of his story. Ava disagrees with me. But I told Ava that this was an important lesson: Life isn’t fair. _

\---

The next two years passed astronomically slow for Riku. There was no joy or cheer or light in his life now. He may have almost smiled once or twice, cracked into choked-off laughter at a joke Xion made but even that those moments quickly dissolved into a closed-off expression and eyes red with held-back tears. Riku was not the same young man who had started training. 

But no one could deny that he had quickly risen to the rank of near-Master. With nothing to distract him, he focused intently on his training. He barely slept, his dreams bringing Sora’s bright grin or gentle hands, or the way he would pout when Riku teased. No matter how he tossed and turned, his dreams would always bring forth Sora, and that hurt too much. Instead, he would practice moves in his bedroom until his muscles ached, his breath coming too fast for tears to fall, and he would collapse on his bed to sleep for a few hours until the nightmares returned and he went to the training grounds instead. 

He mastered abilities and techniques far beyond anyone’s expectations. By the end of his second year of training, Terra mentioned that he was considering having Riku take the Mark of Mastery exam. 

But there was something stopping him. 

While Riku was a great keyblade wielder, probably even better than Terra himself, there was something missing. That bright light that had drawn Terra to him when Riku was younger… that light was gone, eclipsed by the shadow the young man had become. 

“You said that you wanted strength to protect your friends,” Terra mentioned one day while he and Riku were relaxing from their sparring matches. Riku had won, but barely. They were less master and apprentice now and more friends. 

“Only really had one friend back then,” Riku admitted, wrapping a bandage around his wrist. A sparring match a few days ago against Xion had fractured the bone, but Riku refused to let it slow him down. “I only wanted that strength to protect him.” 

“What do you fight for now?” Terra sounded like he really wanted to know. 

Riku thought about it. “My country, I guess. Sora loved his country, always wanted to explore every inch of it, and the world beyond. I’ll do what I can to protect it.” 

Terra hummed and leaned against the door. “You don’t think you’ll ever want to have the strength to protect another person again?”

Riku frowned at the thought and shook his head, his fist clenching. He knew what Terra was asking. But it was impossible. Riku had locked his heart away years ago. He knew it caused him to become a shadow of who he was, it might even be what caused Terra to hesitate from naming him a full master. It was a kind of darkness, but at the moment, it was protecting his heart from further hurt. 

“No. I lost my light. I know that. I lost Sora and my promises to him will be my last.” He turned to look Terra in the eye, absolutely sure of his next words:

_ “I will never love again.”  _


	3. Engagement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy! I had to post this in a bit of a rush this morning before I go to help with a family thing. If there's anything major I need to edit, I will do that tomorrow!

The next day, Riku’s world turned upside down for the second time. 

For one thing, Prince Ven awoke from his curse. 

For another, Riku met his future husband. 

By coincidence, the two events were related. 

Two years after Prince Ven had been cursed, King Xehanort from the neighboring Kingdom of the Badlands visited, along with his heir apparent, Prince Vanitas. Xehanort suggested a cure for the sleeping curse, a solution torn from the pages of a fairy tale. 

True love’s kiss. 

Riku wasn’t there for the actual kiss part, but he was in attendance for the aftermath. 

“I don’t care what you want to call it!” The voice rang out through the castle, one that Riku hadn’t heard in years. “It’s not true love.” 

“It woke you up!” Another voice called out, this one unfamiliar.

“Coincidence and nothing more!” 

Riku ran towards the voices, nearly colliding with Terra who was chasing after a familiar blond. 

Ventus hadn’t aged while he was asleep, and still retained the features he had at nearly seventeen while his two best friends were now well into their twenties. He glanced up at Terra briefly, confused a bit at the sudden age difference, but then Ven almost tried to hide behind Terra, evidently trying to escape whoever else was shouting. 

“What’s going on?” Riku asked, extremely confused. “Who—”

“It’s called true love’s kiss for a reason, Ventus.” The unfamiliar voice came from the shadowed corridor ahead of them. 

“Don’t care!” Ven called back. “I don’t like you like that, Vanitas! I never did!” 

“But if the kiss—” 

Terra reacted by pulling Ven behind him a bit more and then addressed the young man still shadowed. “Ventus is denying it, Vanitas. That plays as big a role here as much as true love’s kiss would have. We can talk it over with Eraqus, but your claim has been denied for now.”

The figure emerged from the shadows dressed entirely in black, with a black helmet obscuring his face. Riku frowned at the odd choice. The hallway was heavily shadowed. How could the figure even see?

Terra was the first to react, simultaneously pushing Ventus further behind him while also pushing Riku froward. “I don’t believe you’ve met. Riku, this is Prince Vanitas from the Badlands. Vanitas, this is Riku, my apprentice.”

Vanitas scoffed. “Where’d you find this one? A farm?” 

“Fishing village, actually.” Riku glared back. “Your point?”

“Figures. Haven't washed that fish smell off yet?” Vanitas’s face remained obscured, but Riku could just imagine him smirking. “Must just be so ingrained into your skin.” 

Riku’s brow furrowed.  _ Who does this asshole think he is? _ On instinct, he summoned his blade, holding it out threateningly. 

“Oh, so you’re not a coward like the others then?” Vanitas summoned his own blade and held it in a stance similar to Riku’s own. 

Gritting his teeth, Riku thought about his options. This was a new opponent, with unfamiliar moves, it would be better to let him attack first to get a feel for him. But Vanitas seemed just as content to wait for him to attack…

Before Riku could come to a decision, there was a hand on his shoulder, somewhat more frail than Terra’s. When Riku turned he found King Eraqus staring at him sternly. Behind him, Aqua and Xion had also come to discover the source of the shouting. 

Ashamed at being provoked so easily, Riku put his keyblade away and looked down. 

Eraqus squeezed his shoulder briefly, acknowledging the silent apology, and turned to Vanitas. “While I thank you for awakening Ventus, I’m afraid that Terra is also correct. Though your cure may have worked, as Ventus has denied the claim, I’m afraid that the alliance cannot go forward as expected.” 

“Which is a shame,” another voice called out, and an old man emerged from the shadows. He was older than Eraqus, with a bald head and gold eyes the same color as Vanitas’s. “With the war approaching, it would be beneficial to both of us to have an alliance.” 

“A war you have just now warned us about.” Eraqus sounded skeptical. “As I said on our way here, Xehanort, please give us time to regroup. It has been many years since Ventus has seen his friends. And our traditions of inheritance and marriage must be respected as well. Please give us time.” 

Xehanort raised an eyebrow and seemed to want to pursue the issue now, but finally nodded. “Very well. Take the time you need.” He then turned to look at Riku meaningfully. “Perhaps if Ventus is adamant to deny his heart’s feelings, there are other options we can pursue.” He then turned around, already walking away. “Are the east quarters still unoccupied? Vanitas and I can rest there while you take your time to think it over.” 

“Your rooms have remained untouched since you last left them, Xehanort,” Eraqus stated. 

Xehanort let out a genial smile, though the expression still put Riku on edge for some reason. The old man then turned to Aqua and Xion. “My maid is still at the entrance attending to our bags. Could you perhaps set her up in a room?” 

Aqua looked like she was about to protest, obviously wanting to spend time with her reawakened friend. But Xion laid a hand gently on her Master’s arm and bowed to the King. 

“I’ll see to it, sir. She can share my room.” With that Xion ran off. 

After another one of those creepy smiles, Xehanort motioned to the badlands Prince and then both of them disappeared down the darkened corridor heading towards the east side of the castle. 

Eraqus raised a hand in farewell, then turned, motioning for Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to follow him. After a moment, he turned back to Riku. “I believe that you will also be needed for this discussion.”

Confused, but also concerned over the discussions of war, Riku followed obediently. He took the opportunity to look at Ventus, feeling a spike of anger even as the blonde looked more confused than him. 

True love’s kiss was all it took to awaken him? If Sora had just stuck around—

And Ventus was even going to deny it. It was just… It felt too much like Sora’s death had been in vain. If Vanitas had come earlier when Ven had first been cursed. If Sora had just found a keyblade master to train him in this country. If, if,  _ if… _

“Enough, Riku,” Eraqus chided softly. “You must not get lost in those what-ifs. They will lead you down a dark path of regret and anger.” 

Riku glanced up at the King, still kind even when chiding him. “I’m sorry… did I say—” 

“It was written all over your face,” Ventus admitted quietly, then turned to face him more. “You’re… Riku? But the last time I saw you—”

“We have a lot to catch up on, Ven,” Aqua said, reaching out to brush a hand through Ven’s hair. 

“Yeah…” Ven looked a little nervous. 

He didn’t take it well at all. 

“Two YEARS?!” 

Riku barely flinched when the chair Ven had been sitting in hit the bookshelves in the room. 

They had tried to break it to him gently, but there was really no way around the facts. The blonde had steadily been growing angrier the longer they tried to talk around it, and eventually, Terra just blurted it out, resulting in the chair hitting the bookshelves. King Eraqus almost looked like he was about to chide Ven, but they all understood the feeling. 

Riku most of all. 

_ “Years?” _ Ventus repeated as if he misheard. 

“Two years to the day almost,” Riku admitted quietly as if it would make a difference. 

Ven glared at him. “How does that—”

“That was the last time he saw Sora,” Terra stated, his hand clenched. “Do you remember—”

“Sora?” Ven looked even more confused. “Yeah. I was getting stuff ready for him when—” He cut off, brow furrowed. “When…” 

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Yeah. I opened a letter I think? I think I got a papercut?” He looked at his finger, long healed from any injury. “How—”

“It was suspected you were targeted by Maleficent,” Eraqus stated quietly, still somehow calm despite the tension around him. “For whatever reason. We have yet to find her.” 

“Oh…” He then turned back to Riku. “What happened to Sora?”

Riku gritted his teeth, barely feeling the pinpricks of pain as his fingernails dug into the palm of his hand. “He… He was heading to Radiant Garden to find a master to train him since you were indisposed. The ship he was on was captured by pirates. He… he…” despite locking his heart away, distancing himself from the pain, explaining it now to Ventus seemed to reopen the hurt again. “He’s dead.” 

All misplaced anger he may have felt towards Ventus evaporated the instant he saw those blue eyes widen in shock and look away. “He—really?” Ven looked away. “I’m sorry.” 

Riku nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything. Instead, he took a deep breath and brought up something else that had been bothering him. “What did that guy mean about a war?”

Eraqus let out a sigh. “King Xehanort has brought evidence that Radiant Garden is raising an army to attack us.”

Aqua frowned. “Really? But that doesn’t sound like—”

“I know,” Eraqus nodded. “But the truth also remains that communications between ourselves and the current regent have been nonexistent for a while.” He let out a sigh. “Xehanort’s evidence is… compelling. He has suggested an alliance for protection.”

“But a marriage alliance?” Riku crossed his arms. “That’s not really how either of our kingdoms traditionally does things, right?” The Land of Departure passed on title and inheritance through connections of the heart, no matter the blood or marital relations. 

“Correct,” Eraqus acknowledged. “And while love and strength are both important, he believes that a political alliance between two reigning families would encourage those in Radiant Garden to respect it more.” 

“Oh…”

“Well, it’s not gonna be between me and Vanitas!” Ven protested. “Please, Master. I don’t… my heart—”

“And we will not force you,” Eraqus waved a hand to pacify Ven. “I would never force any of you to do something against your heart’s wishes.”

Riku watched the scene in front of him, feeling a little out of place and not sure how to add to the conversation. It was evident that Eraqus was truly worried about a war, and if an alliance was needed then—

“I’ll do it,” Riku announced, surprised when the words came out of his own mouth. 

“Huh?” 

All four of them turned to look at him, but only Eraqus seemed to understand what he was saying. 

“What do you mean?” Terra questioned. 

“They want an alliance,” Riku crossed his arms, head bowed in thought. “Then I’ll do it.” He looked up at the king. “That’s what Xehanort was hinting at. Wasn’t it?”

Eraqus stared for a moment, silently assessing Riku, but he nodded. “Yes. Xehanort had noticed your abilities and thought you might have been a good friend to balance out Vanitas’s personality. We had been discussing the option earlier if Ventus refused the match.”

“I refuse!” Ven protested again as if his point hadn’t been made clear already. “But... I don’t want... “ He trailed off and began to wring his hands together in his shirt, looking so much like Sora for a moment that Riku felt his heart ping in pity. “Not if you’ll be miserable Riku. Vanitas— We used to play together, but he can be a bit… mean. And controlling. I don’t want—”

“I can handle him,” Riku offered a grin. 

“Are you sure though?” Terra questioned again. “You don’t have to decide right now. Remember, may your heart—”

“Be your guiding key,” Riku finished. “And it is. I don’t have any… Well… My heart isn’t making any alliances with anyone else. What else can I do but save my country?” He summoned his blade. “I sorta thought I would be saving it with  _ this _ , but—” 

“Are you certain, Riku?” Eraqus questioned. “An alliance once given is not so easily broken.” 

Riku didn’t feel any hesitation when he nodded. 

Eraqus and Aqua both let out a sigh. Evidently, the threat of war had been a heavier burden on both of them than they had let on. Riku couldn’t help but feel that he had made the right decision. 

He let out a sigh, trying to feel something for his sudden and unexpected upcoming wedding, but… there was nothing. It was another mission, another job. 

It was something that he had to do. 

“May I be excused?” Riku questioned. 

Eraqus nodded. “We will discuss the details later.” 

Riku nodded and left, wandering aimlessly through now-familiar halls. He had become close to the royal family during his stay here, as well as his fellow apprentice, Xion. They had been there when he had lost Sora. They were his family now. 

Suddenly, he realized that when he married Vanitas, he would probably have to leave all this behind. 

That caused a spark of regret in his heart. 

“So… I guess you’re the spare then?”

Riku gritted his teeth and turned to glare at the man in the oddly reflective helmet. “What of it? Not my fault that Ventus finds you repulsive.” 

“Yeah well, who needs him?” The boy reached up and removed his helmet, shaking out his hair. 

Riku gasped. 

The face that emerged from the helmet was one that was heartbreakingly familiar. Even the spiky black hair was arranged in the same unique hairstyle. 

But the eyes…

It wasn’t even the color: a fierce gold instead of sky blue. The expression was all  _ wrong.  _

“I didn’t think my face was that bad.” Vanitas’s voice was all wrong too, and for some reason, it was that statement that finally startled Riku out of his thoughts. 

“Sorry. You just—” He shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s nothing.

\----

_ For any youngsters out there wondering “It was just Sora in disguise and a change in personality! He must be under a spell!” A) Ira came to the same conclusion and life tip: don’t be Ira. B) As Mom once said “These countries used to be united. Everyone probably has a secret evil twin out there.” Which is concerning when you think about it. I, personally, don’t want to meet my evil twin. _

_ Oh, wait. Gula says that  _ I’m _ the evil twin. He’s probably right. _

_ Point is, were Sora and Vanitas related? Possibly. Distantly. But they weren’t the same person. Because Sora is dead, remember?  _ Definitely _ dead.  _

\----

Letting out a sigh, and trying to regain a hold on the pain in his heart, Riku glanced back up at Vanitas, finding that the young man was smiling. 

Or at least, Riku was pretty sure Vanitas was trying to smile. The corners of his mouth were turned up, but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

Riku flinched at the look. “Don’t do that. It doesn’t suit you.” 

“Hmph,” the boy scoffed, and thankfully the smile shifted into more of a smirk. “I’ve heard that people smile when they’re happy.”

Riku let out his own scoff and rolled his eyes. “You just learning then?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the castle wall. “Don’t get too happy. I’m never going to love you.”

“What’s love got to do with it?” Vanitas leaned against the wall as well, holding his helmet under his arm and looking out over the city below.

The people were milling about, probably unaware still that their youngest prince had awakened. Unaware of 

After a minute or two of awkward silence, Vanitas finally let out a sigh of his own. “So someone hurt you then? Probably for the best. Love is for losers.” He crossed his arms, then looked over, taking a long look at Riku. “At least you have a pretty face.”

Riku gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. It wasn’t the first time someone had called him pretty, and it irritated him that sometimes it felt that it was all they saw. Generally, a quick demonstration with his fists or his keyblade allowed them to see something else too. 

Gold eyes glanced at him quickly, and the smirk that had been playing on Vanitas’s face quickly grew into something that was genuine, if sad. “Yeah. Just keep glaring like that. At least then I won’t forget that you’re not him.” 

Instantly, Riku felt his anger cool a bit even as Vanitas barked out a laugh at his own private joke.

_ Him?  _ Who had hurt Vanitas? 

For that was indeed the feeling that Riku got. Though Vanitas was laughing, it wasn’t joyful, exactly. Riku could sense the hurt beneath it. He let out a sigh. “So, you only act heartless?”

Instantly, the laughter stopped. “Who says it’s an act?” Gold eyes glared at him harshly. 

Riku shrugged, turning away from that glare to stare out over the wall. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was back home at their fishing village, Sora at his side. It was a nice daydream, but a dream all the same. 

“Takes one to know one, I guess.” 

\--

After that quick and spontaneous agreement to a wedding, everything seemed to pass slowly and yet way too fast for Riku’s comfort. The date was set: a year from the day of the agreement (3 years to the day since Sora’s death, Riku thought glumly). Between preparations and everything Xehanort insisted upon Riku felt stretched to the brink. 

He hated every moment of it. Shaky friendship with Vanitas aside, everything else regarding the ceremony was nothing like he thought it would be. Even his official Mark of Mastery test felt tainted as it was done at the insistence of Xehanort, rather than Master Terra and the King feeling that he was ready. The test was brutal, and it felt like a thousand knives were tearing at his heart, trying to pry at the cracks of darkness that had invaded it since Sora’s disappearance. But it was also his love for Sora that allowed him to persevere. 

And then after that ordeal, he was also formally adopted into the royal family, again at Xehanort’s insistence. He made a grand speech about how the people of Radiant Garden would find the alliance between two  _ princes _ to be more threatening than between a prince and a former fisherman’s son. Riku scoffed at the reminder of his origins, but he also didn’t find the new title of ‘prince’ that impressive. The royal family of the Land of Departure was as casual as they could be, while Vanitas’s way of showing he was a prince seemed to be just being a general asshole (especially to Ven). 

Between his new duties, both royal and keyblade master, as well as wedding preparations, there was now very little time he could spend by himself. What breaks he could take though, he insisted on spending as far from the castle as possible. 

“Hey there, Lightning,” Riku grinned, petting the Electricorn on the nose. The tiny pinpricks of electricity were more tingly than painful, a sight that his mount was thrilled to see him too. The Electricorn was an ‘engagement present’ from Terra, Aqua, and Ven. A way for Riku to take a break from the pressures of wedding preparations. Though Riku half thought of just escaping altogether. 

But where would he go?

Besides. He had made his choice. Sora cared deeply for his country. Riku was honest with Terra when he had started this apprenticeship. He would have done everything to protect Sora. And in Sora’s absence, he would do anything to protect those that Sora cared about, including the entire country. Even if it was  _ this _ . 

Still. It didn’t mean he had to like it. 

“Want to go for a ride?” 

Lightning nickered excitedly and Riku began to pull out the saddle and other items he’d need to go riding. 

“Trying to escape?”

Riku froze for a moment before recognizing the voice and he let out a small huff. “No more than you are. Unless…? “ he trailed off meaningfully, looking into the stall next door where the small young woman kneeled in the hay, seemingly concerned with how her white dress was getting dirty as she focused intently on sketching the family of Necho Cats that had nestled in the stable. “Naminé?” 

The girl jerked as if just realizing that he had asked a question. “Sorry, your highness.” 

“Ugh. Please don’t call me that. I’ve told you. Riku is fine.” Ever since Xion had introduced him to Xehanort’s maid, Riku had been trying to get to know Naminé. She seemed like she might be his only chance at a true friend in his new life as Vanitas’s husband. 

“Sorry…” The girl apologized again, then stood up, rubbing at a thin bracelet around her wrist. “Force of habit. And, er, no. I still can’t—I mean— I’m not—”

The words seemed to catch in her throat every time she tried to explain why she wouldn’t leave Xehanort’s side. 

She let out a deep sigh, then glanced up with a forced smile. “If I leave now, I won’t be here for your wedding!”

Riku rolled his eyes, swinging the saddle onto Lightning and began to buckle it on. “More like, you won’t be here when Xion comes back from visiting her family in Radiant Garden.” 

Instantly the Naminé’s face reddened and she looked away, clutching her sketchbook to her chest. “Do… Do you really think she’ll be back? Her return was already delayed and with… all the talk of war and—”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Riku promised, though his fellow apprentice’s absence concerned him as well. Xion had left nearly six months ago, telling him that Aqua had encouraged the visit home. He didn’t expect the short vacation to last this long. 

Namine didn’t look so sure of his promise but she nodded. “Okay.” 

She helped him adjust the saddle on Lightning and put the reins on, then stepped back while Riku swung himself up on the Electricorn’s back. “I’ll see you in an hour?” 

“Yep. Then it’s off to diplomacy lessons. Yay.”

She let out a giggle. “I’ll see you soon.” 

He waved back as he led Lightning out of the stable. As soon as they were in open pastures, he encouraged the Electricorn to gallop, leaning close to the horse’s neck and feeling the wind in his hair as the animal moved faster and faster, electricity sparking around them. 

He wished he could run away. But the only place he’d want to go was where Sora was. Sora would kill him if he even thought about that option though. 

Soon, Lightning slowed down a bit as they approached the woods, a favorite place to ride quietly. 

“Good boy,” Riku encouraged, then slid off the Electricorn’s back to lead him to a nearby stream to cool off. “You would carry me far away from here, wouldn’t you?”

Lightning let out a snort as if eager himself to get out of the castle permanently. 

“Yeah,” Riku agreed, petting the horse absently on the nose. 

“Excuse me, sir?” 

Reflexively, Riku flinched, not used to voices in this forest. He turned, finding a young woman about his age, with dark scarlet hair and a strange shade of purple-blue eyes. “Yes?”

She gave a small shy grin. “I’m terribly sorry, but my comrades and I have gotten quite lost in this forest for days. Is there a town nearby? Or a village?” 

Something didn’t seem right with her explanation. For one thing, he couldn’t see any comrades, and her long pink dress tunic and pants were clean, not exactly the clothes of someone who had been lost in the forest for days.

He shook his head, dispersing those thoughts. Being around Vanitas has made him paranoid. 

“No…” He shook his head in answer to her question. “There’s no one for miles—” 

Because there wouldn’t be. They were in the King’s Forest. A barrier of magic usually protected  _ anyone _ from crossing—

Quick as a flash, Riku summoned his keyblade. 

The woman summoned a keyblade of her own. The flowers and ocean waves were almost out of place for the deadly way she wielded the blade. He made to leap at her, but then a voice from the trees startled him. 

“Bind!” 

Riku tripped over his own jump and landed awkwardly. 

“Sleep!” the young woman shouted, and her voice was echoed by two others. Deeper voices that seemed to come from above. 

Riku struggled against the spell, but he had been completely unprepared. His keyblade fell heavily to the ground and disappeared as his eyes drifted shut though his mind struggled to stay awake. 

Small but surprisingly strong hands caught him and lowered him gently to the ground. “You know Zexion, he would have been easier to carry if we didn’t have to knock him out.”

“What do you think we brought Axel for?” another voice answered, two heavy thuds vibrating through the ground near Riku. 

Riku tried to force his eyes to open, fighting the spell. He felt his hand clench, hoping he could summon Way to the Dawn again, but it resisted. Nonetheless, the focus in trying to summon it allowed him to clear his head and Riku blinked one eye open. He saw the blurry vision of the young woman, flanked on either side by two figures. 

“Hey, guys!” one of them cried out. “I think he’s—”

“You know what to do then!” the second male snapped. 

Riku felt something dull and heavy tap the back of his head, then he knew no more. 


	4. Kidnappers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi may have a few regrets over her current career as a kidnapper of royalty...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the bit of a delay in getting this chapter posted! I've been having a "computer is broken" issue and so I'm working off of a work computer and getting used to that and... yeah. (I'm rambling, sorry!) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Despite Ienzo—er—_Zexion’s_ reassurances that the reason for bringing Lea along was to help carry Prince Riku to the boat, it appeared that they had been vastly misinformed about their target. 

“I thought you said he was royalty,” Lea huffed, half dragging the poor man through the grass. Kairi tried to help, lifting the Prince’s legs. “Aren’t they supposed to be all soft and gentle? This guy’s like a brick. We could have at least tried to use the electricorn to carry him.” 

“And get shocked by its lightning?”

Kairi couldn’t see his face, but she was pretty sure Zexion just rolled his eyes. 

“Still. I thought royalty barely used their muscles for anything,” Lea let out a huff and grunted as he adjusted his grip on Riku again. “This guy definitely works out.” 

“That may be how the royalty was back at Radiant Garden, Axel,” Zexion muttered. “Clearly things are different here.” 

_ Like you guys would know _ , Kairi thought but bit her lip to keep herself from retaliating. Instead, she huffed out a breath and rearranged her grip on the young man’s feet. “The habits of royalty aside, did either of you know that he could wield a keyblade at all?” 

That had been a bit of a shock to her, and she almost felt bad that they had caught him off guard enough to bind him. It might have been fun to defeat him honorably in a keyblade battle. 

“Our financer did mention it,” Zexion said quietly. “But I’m afraid that until I met you, Kai, I didn’t really understand what a keyblade  _ was _ . I apologize if it caused you any inconvenience.”

Kairi shook her head. “It’s okay, but— I’m afraid that the chains we brought aren’t going to be much use. Locks don’t mean much to keyblade wielders.” 

“The chains were also given to us by our financier. He said that they would negate the Prince’s ability to call upon his keyblade.” 

Kairi nearly dropped the Prince’s legs in shock. She had heard of such items during the years she spent training, mostly in the form of dire warnings: chains and bindings that could completely cut her off from her keyblade. The thought of it made her sick. Her keyblade was a part of her very heart and soul. To be cut off from it like that— 

“Hey,” Lea muttered quietly, drawing her attention. “This Prince guy was trying to help start a war against our kingdom, right? Our families and friends are not gonna survive that, so I’m okay with inconveniencing him a little.” 

“It’s more than that,” Kairi said readjusting her grip on the Prince’s feet again. “It’s like… if someone cut off your flame magic or put a spell on Ienzo—”

“Zexion,” the other man chided quietly. 

“Whatever,” Kairi huffed. “If they put a spell on you that made you forget every book you ever memorized. Cutting off everything that made you, well, you. It’s dark magic and it’s—”

“It’s what we have to do to save our country,” Lea said. “Our families and friends. I would rather give up my magic than let anyone hurt them.” His acid green eyes bore into her. “What about you?”

Kairi’s frown deepened and she looked away. “I only have one purpose. Find the golden-eyed man.” She looked up at Zexion, “And you promised that—”

“Yes. I will give you the information that I know.” Zexion’s voice was quiet. “That was our deal.” 

Kairi nodded. Her personal feelings weren’t worth sacrificing her desire for revenge over. She would do worse in her search for the golden-eyed man. 

They made the rest of the way back to their boat in silence. Zexion held the vessel steady while Kairi and Lea got the Prince inside. Kairi had Lea put the shackles on because her stomach still turned from the aura dark magic surrounding them. 

Soon, she and Lea pushed the boat away from the shore and hopped inside. 

And then the bigger problems with their kidnapping plan became very apparent. 

“C’mon, you stupid—” Lea huffed, trying to pull the sail down and getting nowhere. “Zexion! Our ‘Financier’ gave us a faulty boat.”

Zexion barely glanced up from where he was reading a letter. “I don’t pay you to complain.”

“You haven’t paid us at all yet,” Kairi snapped back, also reaching out to try and help Lea pull at the rope. It still went nowhere. She knew she should have watched the sailors on the ship she and the others had sailed on when they first traveled to the Land of Departure. But she didn’t know that  _ this _ was part of the plan until they got here. “This can’t be that difficult!”

“Well… untying the sail would help.” 

Kairi jerked around at the unfamiliar voice, finding their captive blinking his eyes open and glaring at all of them. “Er...but the rope—”

“Is only for raising and lowering the sail. But if the sail has been tied up, it’s not exactly gonna lower easily.” The Prince raised his bindings to eye level. “Of course… for more sailing tips, you could just untie me and—”

“Not happening,” Ienzo muttered, then waved his hand. The ties that were holding the sale in place neatly undid themselves under his magic. The cloth quickly unfurled and caught the wind. 

“Oh.” Kairi left the rope tying to Lea and went over to their captive. “You know, you could have just stayed quiet.”

“Could have,” the Prince shrugged, “But if I’m gonna be kidnapped, I suppose I’d rather it be done properly. And I really have no interest in just drifting out to sea with you three arguing about a damn rope.” 

Kairi couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her face, nor the laugh that burst forth. Ignoring Ienzo’s look, she moved a little closer to their captive. “We would have figured it out eventually.” 

“When?” The Prince rolled his eyes, “Honestly, who planned this kidnapping attempt? If your escape plan was the boat, shouldn’t one of you at least know how to sail it?” 

“We were kind of subcontracted,” Lea huffed. “I’m afraid your original kidnappers all caught the flu.”

“Lucky me.” The Prince let out a huff of air and leaned against the side of the boat, raising his bound wrists again and pulling. “What the heck is up with these bindings? I— I can’t—” the self-confident look faded away to one of slight panic as he realized that he couldn’t summon his keyblade. 

Kairi bit her lip, that ill-feeling from earlier settling in her stomach. “Sorry. They’re magicked so you can’t summon your blade. I think only another keyblade wielder can let you out.”

He glared at her. “And I guess you’re not willing to do that.”

She glanced over at Ienzo. “Not if I want to get paid.”

The Prince rolled his eyes again. 

“You know, my grandmother said that if you did that often enough they’d get stuck that way,” Kairi chided.

“I presume she often said that to you?” The Prince huffed. “Why are you guys even doing this anyway? Surely there are easier targets to kidnap.”

Kairi shrugged. “Why does anyone do anything? To protect what matters most.” 

“And what matters most to a bunch of kidnappers? Gold?”

“Well it’d be nice,” Lea said, taking a seat next to Kairi. “It’s not like anything else we do pays much.”

“Yeah, but we’re doing this to protect people too,” Kairi huffed, crossing her arms. “Your country is about to go to war with ours, and we’re protecting our homes and friends. Even Lea—”

“Kairi! Ixnay on the ealway!” Lea glared up at her, slightly panicked and speaking in the childish made-up language of the youth in Radiant Garden. 

She winced but stood her ground. “It’s not like he’s gonna care about your name hang-ups.” She had known the redhead off and on during her training years, but even  _ she _ wasn’t sure why he had suddenly started insisting that everyone should call him Axel. Ienzo, too, had insisted on some silly code name before they started this whole kidnapping plot. Like no one could figure it out. 

“I care about my hang-ups, Kai!” 

Ahh, well. Perhaps she shouldn’t cast stones too far. She had her own name hang-ups. Though she did often wonder why shortening her name suddenly made her feel invisible. Kai was just a few letters off from Kairi, but between that and her blade, no one ever seemed to connect her with her past. 

“If you’re allowed to be all mysterious about your past,” Lea continued. “I can call myself whatever I want.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m nothing but an open book!” With just a few pages missing. 

“Yeah, a book in a different language maybe,” Lea grumbled. “Honestly, between you and Xion—”

“This better not be something about how girls are hard to read,” Kairi retorted back. She never got the chance to meet either of Lea’s best friends, Roxas or Xion, but Lea told stories about them on their trip to the Kingdom of Heart. It sounded like she and Xion would get along. If only so they could team up to tease Lea more often. 

“I’m thinking it’s more about how you keyblade wielders are hard to read. Even Roxas—” Lea quickly shut up with a quick glance over at the Prince, who was observing them with something resembling a smile. “Anyway. I’m just glad that the old man said I wouldn’t have the temperament for it. I don’t have it in me to be all mysterious.”

‘No, you just attempt to be “ _ cool _ ”,” Kairi chuckled putting emphasis on the last word in sarcasm. Her grin widened when Lea shoved her lightly. Despite his new quirks, he hadn’t changed much from when she first met him in Master Yen Sid’s office years ago. The old Master had been searching for qualified keyblade wielders, since the keyblades once wielded by the royal family were now lost to history. He had accepted her (truthful, if a little vague) story about dead family relatives, as well as Roxas’s rare but not unheard of spontaneous ability to wield.

“Hey!” Lea protested, “I  _ am _ cool. You know what, I bet I could totally reach your level of keyblade Master-ing in a year.”

“Oh really?” Kairi smirked. “What was it Yen Sid said? That teaching you would be like teaching a cat to bark?” She let out a quiet giggle. 

Lea stuck out his tongue, a gesture she eagerly returned. 

The sound of laughter startled them both out of their childish banter. Kairi glanced up at Ienzo but found him ignoring them all, as usual. Instead, the sound was coming from her other side, finding the Prince covering his mouth with his hands, though it did nothing to hide the smile in his eyes. 

Suddenly the laughter cut off when he caught her looking, and an almost sad look instantly settled over his face. “I, er, it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed like that.” 

Kairi tilted his head, “Huh? Why? Is there nothing to laugh about at the castle?”

The Prince’s face closed off even more. “It’s nothing.” He glanced up at Kairi, “How do you even wield a keyblade? They gravitate to hearts of light, and I doubt that covers kidnappers.” 

Kairi summoned her blade, letting the colorful metal glint in the sun. “Darkness can enter any heart. And sometimes we all have to do things we may not like. As I said before, we’re doing this to protect the things and people that matter.” She turned to him, “Why can you wield? What matters to you?”

His frown deepened as he tilted his head down, his hair hiding his eyes. “I don't even know anymore. Right now the only thing that matters to me is saving my country.”

“Well, at least we have that in common,” Lea said. 

“Quiet.” 

It was the first word Ienzo had spoken in ages.

“What’s wrong?” Kairi wondered, shivering as the wind picked up, ruffling her long tunic and pushing her hair into her eyes. The wind felt like tendrils of ice against her bare arms. When had it gotten so cold? This was more than just the normal chill that came with twilight. This was something much darker. 

“We’re in the sea of nightmares.” Ienzo’s voice was quiet. 

“Nightmares—” A sudden splash cut off her question and she turned quickly.

The Prince was gone. 

She hurried to the edge of the boat, spotting the man’s silver hair glinting in the moonlight. It appeared that even with his hands bound he was able to swim, his feet kicking while he managed to keep his head above water. 

“Go after him!” Ienzo shouted, glaring at her. 

Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t swim! “Er, I— uh… How do you expect me to do that?”

Ienzo’s glare turned to Lea who raised an eyebrow.

“We all grew up in Radiant Garden. You know: the well-fortified, _ land-locked _ town in our kingdom? I can’t swim either.” 

Zexion huffed and glared before finally shouting out. “Turn the boat around then! Move that— that thing! And the other thing!” 

Kairi tried to help Lea follow Ienzo’s orders, the older redhead managing to turn the sail so they could catch up with their escapee. She kept an eye on the water though. The Prince was making good time ahead of them.

With a start, she noticed ripples in the water nearby. A midnight blue fin peeked out of the water, the color nearly black in the darkening sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Suddenly, the Prince flailed in the water, his head jerking around in a frantic search. Another fin emerged from the water, the two fins circling Riku. 

“Do you feel that, your highness?!” Ienzo shouted out. “Those are the dark spirits in these waters. Toxicmanders, Fin Fatales, Sea Sprites… They’re feeding off your dreams, turning them into your worst nightmares.” 

There was a sudden shriek that echoed through the water. The sound sent shivers down Kairi’s spine. 

“That’s the sound they make when they’ve found their next meal,” Ienzo warned. “Swim back now, and I promise we won’t harm you yet. I don’t think the nightmares will offer you the same deal.” 

The Price struggled to get away from the creatures circling him, the ripples near him becoming more distinct as three more fins emerged from the water and the shrieking grew louder. 

Kairi could only watch as Riku floundered in the water, panic evident on his face when he couldn’t swim away from the creatures that were now circling closer to him. The shrieking grew louder and louder, one of the nightmares rearing up in the water, mouth open wide as the Prince went under and— 

—-

_ “The nightmares don’t eat him at this time.” _

_ Mom always paused the book here, repeating these words. I would blink for a moment, having been lost in the story, and then look up at him. “Huh?” _

_ “The nightmares don’t get to Riku at this time. You seemed a little concerned. I just thought I should let you know not to worry so much.” _

_ I know.  _ Spoilers right?! _ I hate to admit it, but even now I felt my heart speed up a bit (what little is left of the shriveled old thing, as Ira would say), and I remembered our Mom’s words.  _

_ I didn’t really understand why he would console me at that part of the story, but I suppose as a child, it would be really worrying to get taken by a horde of angry nightmares. While getting lost in fiction is good, it’s not good to get so lost that you become panicked. Take a break, stretch a bit, and come back later.  _

_ The nightmares do not get him this time.  _

—-   


The shrieking grew louder and louder, one of the nightmares rearing up in the water, mouth open wide as the Prince went under— 

—and Kairi couldn’t just stand and watch any longer. Summoning her keyblade, she blasted a fire spell at the nightmares that had been converging on Riku’s location.

The boat managed to pull alongside just as the Prince struggled to the surface again. Kairi fired off another fire spell, scaring off the other nightmares, and Lea pulled their escapee back into the relative safety of the boat. As the Prince coughed and struggled to regain his composure, Kairi thought that she heard him breathe out the name “ _ Sora _ .” 

Then he collapsed onto the boat, breathing deeply, shivering a little as the freezing temperature permeated through his waterlogged clothing. Despite all Ienzo and Lea had told her about the importance of this kidnapping, about the plans between the Kingdom of Heart and the Kingdom of Darkness to overtake her Kingdom of Light, Kairi felt a pang of sympathy for this Prince. 

He continued to cough up water, and when Kairi leaned in to see if he needed help, she noticed that not all of the water streaming down Riku’s face was seawater.

The Prince caught her looking and his face reddened as he reached up to wipe the tears away. 

Kairi remembered what Ienzo had said about the nightmares in the water. What happened in the water? What did Riku see? 

_ Who was Sora? _

“That was reckless,” Zexion chided. “I would have thought a Prince would have more brains than that.” 

“Shut. Up,” the Prince muttered. 

Kairi knelt down and tried to help him sit up, but he pushed her away. 

“Don’t—just… please, don’t.” 

Suddenly there was a glow above the Prince and his eyes blinked several times, struggling against another sleep spell before he fell heavily to the deck of the ship. 

“What the hell, Ienzo?!” Kairi shouted calling the other by his childhood name. “We just saved him from drowning, he might still need help and—”

“He’ll be fine,” Zexion said curtly. “Besides, you were growing too close to him. That was gonna make the next part difficult.”

“What’s the next part?” Lea asked. “I thought we were just kidnapping him.” 

Zexion held out the papers he had been studying ever since they left the shore. “And we have to kill him.” 

“What?!” Somehow, Kairi felt reassured to hear Lea’s voice echo her own. 

“To prevent the war. That’s what we’ve been hired to do.” Zexion shoved the papers back into his pocket, though he also looked a little queasy at the thought. “We have to do it for the people we care about. For our kingdom. The best way to prevent any sort of alliance is to kill one of the parties and blame it on the other.” 

Kairi frowned. That plan seemed simple enough, but...killing? She glanced back at the Prince. He didn’t seem like someone who was bent on conquering her beloved home. 

She looked out across the water. Was this really something she was prepared to do? She had forgone any monetary payment for this job in exchange for information. But was this really the only way to avenge her grandmother? 

She sighed deeply, listening to Lea and Zexion arguing behind her, probably over the fact that she and Lea had not been told the full plan when they were hired. She stared up at the stars, marveling at how clear they were out at sea. 

Suddenly, she spotted a dark shape silhouetted by the stars. It took her a minute to process the shape of what was following them, but she realized that it was a boat. 

And it seemed to be gaining on them. 


	5. Swordswoman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi may have met her match in the form of a mysterious masked man...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! This chapter was fun to write mostly because I enjoy writing fights even if I'm not very good at it. Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed the chapter ^_^

The ship was gaining on them, growing bigger by the second. As it did, Kairi could just make out a figure on the deck. 

“Uh…Ienz— er, Zexion? Are you sure that we got out of the forest unnoticed?”

“Of course,” Ienzo waved her question away, “No one saw us enter the Royal Forest, no one saw the boat that our financier provided, and we sailed into the sea from an unused inlet. It would be absolutely impossible for someone to know we are here.”

Kairi glanced back out across the water. 

By now she was sure. There was definitely a person on that boat. 

“Okay, but are you really,  _ really _ sure?”

“It is completely and totally impossible.” Ienzo was still flipping through his papers irritably before shoving them into his pocket again. Then he stopped, turning to look at her. “Out of curiosity, why do you ask?”

Kairi pointed to the boat on the water. “I think he’s following us.” 

She had to hurriedly grab onto the edge of the boat as it rocked dangerously when Lea and Zexion both ran over to look as well. 

“That’s impossible,” Ienzo murmured. “It’s probably just a fisherman looking to subvert the local fishing laws by casting his nets at night.”

“In nightmare-infested waters?” Lea’s voice was dry with sarcasm. 

“I can’t say I know the exact thinking of fishermen, but it’s not impossible.” 

Even Ienzo didn’t sound too convinced of his own reasoning.

“He’s gaining,” Lea murmured, then looked up at their sail. “Do you think he’s using the same wind as us?” 

“It doesn’t matter!” Ienzo huffed, pointing to the other side of the boat. “Look! Even if he  _ is _ following us, we’ll lose him there! The cliffs of insanity!” 

Kairi looked at the steep climb. “Are  _ you _ insane? There’s no way—”

“We can do it,” Ienzo said, staring at the cliffs in determination. “We have to.” 

Kairi somewhat doubted that, but she supposed they didn’t have a choice. 

The mysterious boat was definitely following them. 

They managed to pull the ship ashore without fumbling it up too much, and Kairi helped Lea carry the Prince over to where a rope dangled from the top of the cliffs. “Who—”

“Vexen had it placed earlier. Before he and the others had to bow out of the job.”

“This job seems to be more trouble than it’s worth,” Lea complained. “Why do we now have to scale these freaking cliffs?”

“If you don’t want to get paid or save your country then—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kairi grumbled, helping Lea pull the unconscious Riku onto his back and quickly tied a binding around him to prevent the man from falling. 

Zexion went up the rope first, with Kairi behind him. Lea brought up the rear, Riku strapped across his back haphazardly. He struggled to pull both himself and the unconscious Prince up the rope, but he slowly made progress. 

They climbed, the work hard as there were few footholds to leverage themselves against, the rocks of the cliff too smooth and slick. Kairi only looked down once. 

The masked man had also managed to dock his boat next to theirs and grabbed a hold of their rope. He seemed to be climbing faster, barely stopping to find footholds and quickly gaining on them.

“Stop gawking and climb!” 

Kairi gasped at Ienzo’s shout, looking up to find the man already at the top. She scurried up the rope as fast as she could, then turned to try and help Lea. 

As soon as Lea was near the top, Kairi helped him over the edge while Zexion pulled out a knife and began to frantically cut the rope. Soon Kairi saw the end slide past and fall over the edge. 

Was that it then? Did the masked man fall to his doom? 

Kairi held her breath as she listened, but the splash that she anticipated never came. Ienzo ran towards the cliff’s edge. 

“There’s no way he’s gonna be able to— to—” Ienzo trailed off. 

Kairi frowned, leaving Lea to mess with the ties holding the Prince in place, and walked over to see what Ienzo was looking at.

The figure who had been chasing them through the water was now climbing the cliffs. Now that dawn was rising, Kairi could make out more of the figure: a man slight in frame but obviously containing unbelievable strength to hold on to the cliffside for so long. A mask covered almost all of his face and hair, with a tricorn hat somehow still perched on his head despite the blustery wind. 

And in spite of the odds, he was  _ climbing _ . Kairi watched in amazement. The rising sun would glint off the water in a spot or two, creating a sparkle that the man leaped towards. Another sparkle and the man rose another two feet, a glow emanating around his whole figure that Kairi couldn’t attribute to the sun. 

She had heard of this type of magic  _ — airstepping —  _ but only in whispers and legends. The technique had passed out of knowledge centuries ago. 

Who was this man?

“That’s impossible,” Ienzo muttered beside her. “There’s not enough handholds or footholds for anyone to climb these cliffs without the assistance of a rope. Not to mention the sea would make the rock slick. It’s literally impossible.”

“You know,” Lea drawled, still carrying the Prince across his back. “The more you say that word, the less it sounds like an actual word.”

Zexion huffed angrily, then pointed at Kairi. “Keep an eye on him. If he falls, fine. If not, take him out.” 

Kairi glared. “You know I don’t—”

“Then  _ knock _ him out.” Zexion waved away her concerns angrily. “Makes no difference, but we can’t let anyone follow us.”

After a moment of hesitation, Kairi nodded. “I’m gonna use only one though.”

Zexion rolled his eyes. “You know what kind of hurry we’re in!”

“It’s not gonna be fair otherwise,” Kairi shrugged. “C’mon. If I use two it’ll be over too soon and where’s the honor in that?”

Zexion let out a loud sound of frustration before turning to Lea.

“C’mon!” he barked, then marched away down a nearby path. 

“Be careful, Kai,” Lea advised, adjusting his grip on the Prince. “You can’t trust a man in a mask.”

“I’ll be fine. Keep an eye on Ienzo though? He looks like he’s gonna burst a blood vessel at any moment.”

They shared a small grin before Lea ran to catch up with Zexion, Lea’s magical energy having clearly returned over the long voyage. 

Kairi glanced back over the side of the cliff. The man was still climbing, though now he was having a bit of trouble. Clouds were starting to overshadow the sun, limiting the man’s ability to use his magic. 

That wasn’t Kairi’s problem though. As Zexion said: if the man fell, that was all there was to it. 

To keep her mind off of things, she summoned her keyblade, feeling a pang as it appeared in her hand. Destiny’s Embrace had been her grandmother’s and was meant to be passed along to her when the time was right. Kairi just wished that her grandmother had been able to pass the blade on by her own will rather than— 

She shook her head. No use thinking about those things now. She swung the blade a few times, basking in the familiar weight and feel of it in her hand. How would the masked man fight? Heavy overhead attacks? If he was climbing this cliff he certainly had the strength for it. But he also had magic, so the attacks might be quick. She could respond with a few guards to gain an opening but then— 

She was overthinking it. The only way she would know for sure was if the man was actually up here and they fought. 

What was taking him so long?

She glanced back over the side of the cliff. The sun had completely disappeared behind the clouds now, but the man had made good progress and had gotten about three-quarters of the way up the cliff. 

“How’s it going?” she called out.

“Great!” The man called back, “At a bit of a snag due to the sun disappearing, but I’ll manage.”

“Well… you're a bit slow.” 

“Unless you intend to help, I don’t really see that changing.”

Kairi frowned, glancing back over to the rope that they had used. Ienzo had said to wait. The man would probably fall on his own. 

But… all that strength and magic. 

What if he was a good opponent?

What if he was  _ the _ opponent?

“I could do that. Help, I mean. I’ve got some rope up here,” Kairi offered, “But I didn’t think you would take me up on it, considering I’m really just up here to stop you.”

The man stopped from where he was struggling to find a new handhold, glancing up at her with a frown. “You’re not really good at making friends are you?”

“Well?” Kairi huffed. 

To her disappointment, the man shook his head. “Nope! Sorry. You’ll just have to wait.”

She just barely held back a frustrated sigh. “I hate waiting.” She hated it when she was younger, and she really hated it now. What was the point of waiting when you could be  _ doing _ something? Suddenly, she was struck by an idea. 

“I can give you my word as a member of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee!” 

It was a short-lived membership, mostly guarding much-needed supplies, but it had somewhat eased her guilt of abandoning her place in the kingdom.

“No good,” the man called up. “Know too many committee members.”

“Dammit guys,” Kairi huffed. The Restoration Committee was a ragtag group of teens and young adults. Some more unscrupulous than others. 

She almost stepped away from the cliff's edge, but at the last moment, she thought of something else. She knelt at the ledge, waiting for a moment until the man looked up. They locked gazes. 

“I swear,” she stated, just loud enough for the man to hear, “I swear on the heart, soul, and grave of my grandmother, you will reach the top.”

The man didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Throw me the rope.”

She couldn’t hold back the grin as she grabbed the remains of the rope and threw it over the edge of the cliff. The man grasped it quickly, and they worked together, Kairi pulling while the man climbed until he reached the top. 

“Thanks.” The masked man was breathing hard, but he stood up, summoning his blade wearily. 

Kairi quickly waved him off. “We can wait until you’re ready.”

The man smiled, and  _ Oh!  _ Kairi felt her heart skip a beat. That was a  _ very _ nice smile. 

“Thank you!” The masked man leaned against the nearby rocks and took off his hat to fan himself, revealing messy brown hair only half-tamed by the dark blue bandana tied around his forehead and eyes. It had two thin holes cut out for his eyes. 

She tried to look closer, but couldn’t quite see the man’s eyes. They were shaded by the bandana. “Sorry for the odd question, but you wouldn’t happen to have golden eyes would you?”

“Huh?” The man tilted his head. “No? Er— they were blue the last time I had a chance to look in a mirror.” He raised a hand, physically opening his left eye wide enough so Kairi could see that his eyes were, in fact, a stunning blue. She would almost say the color of a cloudless sky if she was feeling romantic. 

Which she certainly was  _ not _ . 

She sighed and sat back on her heels again. 

The man let out a chuckle. “You always ask strange questions before a duel?”

Kairi shrugged. “I’m looking for somebody. I didn’t  _ really _ think it would be you. I’m pretty sure the man was older. But I’ve gotten so used to asking…” She trailed off. The man didn’t want to hear about her problems.

To her surprise, the man leaned closer. “Hmm? What’s with that frown? Did this golden-eyed somebody do something to you?”

She leaned against the rock, looking over the cliffside to the sea. Her grandmother would tell her stories about the sea, having gone on several trips when she was younger. Kairi had been looking forward to taking trips of her own before— 

Before everything went wrong. 

“I lived with my grandmother when I was very young,” Kairi started, already feeling the tears bubble up. “My parents had passed away when I was very young, so she pretty much raised me, showed me how to wield a keyblade, trained me in learning how to forge my own. I loved my grandmother so much.”

“Sounds like a wonderful childhood,” the masked man stated. 

Kairi nodded. “It was. But… then the—” She cut off with a shake of her head, feeling the tears start to burn in her eyes. She tried not to think about that day. 

“Your accent and your clothes, I’m presuming you are from Radiant Garden?” The man guessed. “I take it you and your grandmother got caught up in the coup.”

Kairi wiped a tear away. “The fighting broke out when my best friend and I were playing in the garden, and grandma locked us in the gardener’s shed to hide us. She… She said to not come out till she told us to. But then this man in strange armor entered the garden. He—he str—” 

Her voice caught in her throat and she pulled her knees to her chest. “Struck down my grandma.” 

“I’m so sorry,” the man murmured, looking down at his hands. Kairi had heard the words often throughout the years, but for once it sounded like someone actually meant them. 

She took another breath, trying to steady herself. It seemed silly to explain it all to this man. After she knocked him out and stopped him, it wasn’t like she would ever see him again. But there was something about him. Something that seemed so trustworthy. 

“I watched it all happen through a gap between the door and the wall, but the man saw me looking. I just remember those horrid gold eyes staring at me as he used a keyblade to break the lock on the door.” 

“A keyblade?” The man sat up in shock. “He used a keyblade to strike your grandmother? But that’s—” 

“Darkness, I know.” Kairi let out a sigh. She had mulled over the horror of it for hours, long after the man had disappeared, taking her best friend but leaving Kairi behind for some reason. She had managed to crawl away from the shed to sit by her grandmother’s body. Destiny’s embrace had been in her grandmother’s lax grip, and Kairi had taken it for her own. 

It was now the keyblade she had trained with for years. She summoned it, the flowers climbing up the blade reminiscent of the ones found in the garden she loved to play in. 

“It’s a beautiful blade,” the man said, bringing her back to the present. 

“Yeah, it was my grandmother’s. In Radiant Garden, keyblades are mostly passed down through—”

“Through bloodlines,” the man finished with a nod, summoning his own, a plain blade that was more reminiscent of the “key” part in keyblade: a bright golden hilt, and a silver blade. “I take it you know how to use yours. What will you do when you find the golden-eyed somebody?” 

She grinned. “I’ve trained for years, readying myself for the day that I will find the golden-eyed man. I will challenge him and say: ‘Hello, my name is Kairi. You killed my grandmother. Prepare to die.’” She had practiced the words for so long, just so she wouldn’t stumble, would never forget them. She was  _ ready _ . 

The masked man looked a little uneasy. “Really? You would kill him? After… you know that striking down someone with your keyblade is darkness. Why would you—”

“He’ll be the only one,” Kairi admitted, her grip tightening on the blade. “Because I don’t have a choice. He has to pay for what he did.” She readied herself. If the man was feeling well enough to summon his own blade, then he was ready enough to fight. No need to put this off any longer. 

The man stared at her for a moment longer before offering another blinding grin. “Well, if that’s what your heart commands, I can’t stop you. But I am gonna need to get past you to follow my own heart. So… any chance I can just, uh, sneak by you?” 

Kairi laughed, “No can do. I still have a reputation to uphold. What kind of hired swordswoman would I be if I let someone walk away from a duel?”

The man shrugged. “Fair enough. Ready then?”

“Waiting on you.” Kairi took a deep breath, feeling every muscle tense up in anticipation before relaxing the ones that she didn’t need to hold her blade. She needed to focus. But before they started, she did want to say one more thing. “I hope you’re a decent keyblade wielder. I’d hate for this to be over with quickly.” 

“You seem like a decent person, I’d hate to stand in your way.” He readied his own blade. 

She waited. Better for him to strike first so she could get a feel for his style. He didn’t disappoint, starting with a quick strike to her side that she easily parried. With a spin, he tried to attack her other side, but she parried that as well. 

Basic moves. Was he just teasing her?

He grinned, his eyes hardening and suddenly he struck three times in quick succession. They were moves she could avoid, but his finishing hit nearly stuck her and it was only an instinctive barrier on her part that prevented any damage. She grinned, understanding his attack pattern. “The Flynn offensive? Really?”

“Thought it was appropriate with the terrain,” the man observed, indicating their rocky arena. 

“It probably would be, if your opponent hadn’t trained in the Mulan counter.” She quickly dished out a few attacks of her own, followed up by some basic magic spells that had the masked man stepping backward while trying to parry her. He was good, fast and light on his feet, but she could corner him against the edge of the cliff with just a few more steps. 

Maybe not as good as she'd hoped. 

“The Mulan Counter is good,” the man said, grinning even as he just barely blocked another of her attempted blows. “But what about the Aladdin Remise?”

Kairi gasped as she was suddenly put on the defensive. With a few quick moves on his part, the man somehow flipped them around so she was the one with her back to the ocean. She had heard about the Aladdin Remise, of course, but she had never seen someone pull it off with this kind of speed before. Soon, the man had her cornered against the cliff’s edge. 

Oh, he was good. 

But still…

“I admit,” she huffed, still parrying the blows as quickly as they came. “You are good. Maybe even better than I am.” 

The masked man offered a grin, though he did not stop pushing. “Then why are you smiling?”

Was she? It had really been too long since she had truly been challenged enough to bring out her strongest moves. “Because I know something you don’t know.” 

“Oh… and what’s that?”

In an instant, Kairi summoned her second blade, flinging it hard against the masked man’s torso, much to his surprise. He was flung back into a pillar, breathing heavily but — unfortunately — still conscious. 

“My grandmother’s blade isn’t the only one I inherited.” The blade she inherited from her mother was so silver it was nearly white, with a colorful star emblem on the end of the blade. She launched into another series of attacks. Dual-wielding was nearly unheard of in Radiant Garden, but her lineage made it easy for her to do. 

Oathkeeper had been her mother’s keyblade. And she wielded it with just as much ease as Destiny’s Embrace. 

Still, the man was fast enough to continue to parry her, even getting a blow of his own in every once in a while. It would be over soon though. She locked her blades with his and leaned in, his stance weakening as she pushed. Then she caught a glimpse of his face. 

The masked man was  _ smiling _ . 

Before she could even formulate the words to ask  _ ‘why are you smiling _ ?’ she found herself flying backward into a wall, hitting it roughly. She grunted in pain but raised her Oathkeeper keyblade to heal. Through the green haze, she saw the man heal himself as well with a blade as dark as obsidian, a bright purple gem encrusting the hilt and thick chains lining the blade. 

“I may have been holding back a bit as well.” The masked man laughed a little, looking a little apologetic. “So… I guess no more secrets?”

Kairi blinked, letting out a chuckle of her own. Then she rushed at the man and let her blades clang with his. She could still do this. No one had ever beaten her when she was dual-wielding. 

She struck at him with every magic spell and move she had learned, every technique that had been drilled into her. 

Still, nothing seemed to stick. He dodged every blow, airstepped just out of reach. Once she had launched one keyblade at him in a strike raid that no one had ever evaded, but he even managed to block  _ that _ with a well-timed reflect spell and actually threw the keyblade back at her. 

Damn, he was good. 

Finally, she managed to lock Oathkeeper with his black blade, yanking it from his grip. Then she struck down with Destiny’s Embrace. The sound of her keyblade hitting the masked man’s simpler one echoed around the arena. She growled and hit it again with Oathkeeper. Over and over she hit, surely one would break through his guard. 

Suddenly, something hard hit her in the back and she gasped, stumbling. The masked man broke away from her attack and swung, the blow knocking Oathkeeper from her grasp. Blinking, Kairi looked behind her just in time to see the obsidian blade fly back into the man’s hand. Then he swung again, and Destiny’s Embrace went flying. 

She was completely weaponless. 

She had lost. 

She sank to her knees. “Please… if you’re gonna take my heart then—”

“Take your heart?!” The masked man looked genuinely confused. “Why would I do that? You have a mission of your own to take care of, even if I may not agree with it.” 

He seemed to think for a bit. “But I guess I’d rather you not follow me either, so—”

Kairi didn’t hear him utter a spell, but the unconsciousness that flowed over her was definitely a strong sleep spell. She groaned as she hit the dirt, trying in vain to keep her eyes open. She thought she heard the man mumble a quick “sorry”. Then there were footsteps that ran away. 

Her world went black before the footsteps faded completely.

—

Kairi groaned, blinking her eyes open, though she closed them again at the bright light. The sun must have fully risen by now. 

She gasped, sitting up quickly. How long had she been out?!

As she tried to get her bearings, she glanced around. Judging by the length of the shadows, it must not have been very long. An hour or two? 

Kairi stood up, rubbing the back of her head, then looked towards the ground where she saw a set of relatively fresh footsteps going in the direction of the path Ienzo and Lea had taken. Evidently the masked man was following the footsteps of her fellow conspirators.

She sighed deeply. She could run off now, but Ienzo was the one who promised her information on the golden-eyed man she was searching for. She couldn’t give up now just because she had been defeated. 

Coming to a decision, she brushed the dirt off her pants, then ran in the direction of the footsteps. After a short way down the path, the masked man’s footsteps disappeared. The sun had come out again, and Kairi figured the man must have used the same sunlight airstep technique to move faster from rock to rock across the grassy plain. 

By now she was pretty sure where he was heading, and the path was well marked. Soon, she found herself in an abandoned rock quarry of some kind. 

Here, the footsteps were visible again, though she could have just as easily followed the collection of burn marks and dead grass. 

Ienzo must not have trusted she would do the job and had Lea ready as a backup. 

However, judging by the darkened areas of rock, still glistening a bit with water, the masked figure had fought back just as hard, and probably even summoned a few blizzard or water spells. That would have definitely put a dent in Lea’s fire magic. 

She ran ahead, following the trail of burned grass and water to a clearing where she saw that the battle was just now wrapping up. 

Lea was losing. 

It appeared that the two had run out of magical mana and had resorted to a wrestling match instead. The masked figure had leapt up onto Lea’s back, wrapping an arm around the taller man in an effort to knock him out. Lea tried to throw the masked figure off, running backward against the rock in a last-ditch effort. But the man clung on, grunting as his back was rammed into the hard stone. 

Kairi was just debating stepping in when Lea dropped to his knees. The masked figure quickly let up, running further down the path where Zexion must have gone. 

Kairi ran forward to check on Lea, finding him coughing, but otherwise okay. 

“Please just let me pass!” The masked man called out, waving even as he ran further down the pathway. “I really don’t want to hurt you more, but I—” He was too far away now for her to hear, but considering the way he ran, she figured that he must have had a very good reason to go after Ienzo and the Prince. 

She felt in her heart that his reason was just as strong as her need to take revenge for her fallen grandmother. 

That was his choice, though. For now, she cast a cure spell over herself and Lea. 

Lea let out a breath as the bruises on his neck cleared up. “You know Kai… I don’t think we’re cut out for the kidnapping business.” 

Kairi could only really laugh and nod in answer to that. 

The masked man may have his own reasons for pursuing the Prince, but if she had to guess, it was for the same reason they had all taken the job to begin with. To protect something. 

She just didn’t know why a masked man would ever want to protect a Prince. 


	6. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku plays the part of the damsel in distress, much to his dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't hold this chapter in anymore! I hope you enjoy!! :D

“Riku!” 

He could hear Sora, but he couldn’t see him. It was too dark. He reached out anyway, hoping he could feel something. “Sora! Answer me!” 

“—ku!” 

Riku huffed in frustration at the darkness around him. Though he knew his eyes were wide open, he couldn’t see _anything._ And when he tried to call on his keyblade, nothing happened. The blade wouldn’t materialize. 

_ Boom! _

Suddenly the smell of burning wood and smoke assaulted his senses. The creaks and explosions of wood. The screams of sailors and passengers. Splashes as wreckage hit the water. 

Riku panicked. “Sora! Sora where are—”

“Riku! I—” Sora’s words cut off in a scream of pain. 

Riku’s heart clenched and he reached out. If he could just—

He gasped as he woke, still reaching out, though he overbalanced on whatever he had been sitting on and fell heavily to the ground onto the ground. He grunted when he landed heavily on his hands, still cuffed with the keyblade binding magic, as well as physically bound with a tight rope. Riku heard a loud animal snort above him and he blinked his eyes open, finding the large muzzle of a horse just inches from his face. He gasped and backed away, but the horse let out another snort. 

“Where…” Riku shook his head, groaning as the movement caused sharp pains to reverberate through his head. This is why multiple sleep spells were discouraged… why had someone put a sleep spell on him— 

Right. He had been kidnapped. 

Perfect. 

“Do you mind?” An annoyed voice asked. 

Boots entered Riku’s vision as his kidnapper roughly pulled Riku to his feet, his free hand still holding the reins of the horse. They must have put Riku on the horse to carry him to this point while he was unconscious.

Riku spared a glance at his kidnapper, the shorter male with slate-colored hair. The one Riku vaguely remembered being referred to as Zexion. He spared a brief thought to what happened to the others, but maybe if there was now just one—

“Bind."

Riku felt invisible ropes tighten around his arms and legs, adding extra constriction to the physical bindings already on him. Riku gasped. “Really?!” If he could just summon his blade... 

But no. Those stupid cursed bindings still prevented him from summoning Way to the Dawn. 

“So… I guess they’re not coming.” Zexion said, completely ignoring Riku’s plight. “Then… it’s up to me.” 

He dragged Riku until the Prince found himself sitting against an apple tree. Riku watched as Zexion tied the horse up quickly, though the knot was way too loose. If the horse wasn’t distracted by the food nearby in the form of fallen apples, it would get away at the first sign of trouble.

Zexion didn’t seem to know or care about the loose knot though, focusing on dragging items out of the saddlebags, always jumping away whenever the horse turned its lazy gaze onto him. Riku spared a look at the horse. The horse looked strong and well-fed, as well as docile enough to let Zexion near it, though Riku could tell the man was a bit skittish. Was the horse just a way for Riku’s kidnappers to carry him around? And the boat they had dragged Riku onto. That had been well constructed. 

Whoever it was that had ordered his kidnapping really did have everything planned. Riku knew it couldn’t have been these three weirdos. If they didn’t even know how to sail a boat or handle a horse. So why would they have planned a kidnapping that involved either of those things? They should have used things they were familiar and comfortable with. 

Riku remembered one of the other kidnappers, Lea, mentioning that they had been the backups. Who were Riku’s original kidnappers supposed to be then?

And who hired them in the first place?

Footsteps distracted Riku from these musings as Zexion returned. 

After retrieving whatever he needed from the saddlebags, Zexion, bizarrely, laid out a picnic. 

“Might as well eat while we wait,” Zexion said, offering Riku a slice of bread. 

Riku glared, pointedly jerking at his bindings. 

“You seem fairly intelligent. I’m sure you can figure it out.” Zexion put the slice in Riku’s lap before he began to eat his own. 

Riku huffed in annoyance, but his stomach growled and betrayed his hunger so he did eventually maneuver his bound hands to pick up the bread and take a bite. It was plain and could have used a little butter. 

With a start, he noticed his vision began to gray around the edges. Between one blink and the next, he was completely blind. 

“I’m really beginning to hate you,” he sighed. He never even noticed Zexion adding the blinding charm. 

“Whatever made you think that anything I did was to gain your favor?” he heard Zexion huff out next to him. “Might as well finish that bread anyway. Might be your last meal for a while.”

“Thanks, but I’ll starve.” Riku berated himself. The dream of Sora had already thrown him off; usually, he would have never fallen for a cheap trick like this. 

But… he supposed that he wasn’t really in the mood for fighting it either. He hadn’t been lying to Naminé earlier. He had no plans to escape his arranged marriage. But nor was he looking forward to it. 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. 

Riku felt Zexion grab his hair harshly and something sharp pricked against his throat. 

“Take another step and he dies.” Zexion’s voice was absolute, scarier than anything Riku had heard earlier. 

The footsteps halted. “Perhaps we can come to an agreement?”

“Ha? And what? Watch you walk away with what I’ve rightfully stolen?”

“The Prince is his own person. I highly doubt that he’d appreciate being stolen.” 

Riku frowned, the voice almost sounded like Vanitas’s, but the tone and the words were all wrong. Vanitas would have demanded something by now. Riku had guessed that Vanitas would have had someone from the castle follow him, maybe even attempt a rescue, but this voice wasn’t anyone Riku recognized. 

And if it wasn’t someone from the castle, who else would try to rescue him?

“Either way, you’ve beaten my swordswoman, so you clearly know your way around a blade. You’ve defeated my fire mage, so you likely know magic as well…” 

Riku thought Zexion sounded rather desperate. 

The knife suddenly dug deeper into Riku’s throat. 

“And every step you take is killing him.” 

Riku hadn’t even heard the other approach. 

“Perhaps a game of uh… smarts then? I can assure you, we’re probably on an even playing field with that.” 

Really? Riku rolled his unseeing eyes. Judging from the other person’s turn of phrase, he was fairly sure that Zexion would hold the higher ground in any battle of wits. 

Zexion seemed to know it too. “A wager then? What do you propose?”

This time, Riku did hear the footsteps as the man moved closer. Then there was the sound of a bottle being unstoppered. 

“Smell, but do not taste.” 

The knife left its position from Riku’s throat as Zexion lowered the blade. 

He heard Zexion breathe deeply “I smell nothing.” 

“It’s, uh, Paopu extract. Totally odorless, tasteless, and among the deadliest poisons among mankind.” 

Riku frowned, nearly opening his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. Paopu fruit was some dumb star-shaped produce from his hometown. It was a bit sour, but certainly not deadly. Nor was it odorless. 

What was this guy getting at?

However, Zexion appeared not to know what a paopu fruit was, for he merely let out a hum of question. 

“Pour the water,” the mysterious voice requested. 

The sound of water hit the glasses that Zexion had sat out. There was a scuffle, then another questioning sound from Zexion. 

“The game has begun,” the other man stated. “Which glass has the poison, and which does not? You choose, we drink, and the winner can do with the Prince as they wish while the loser lays dead.” 

Riku frowned. “I think I should get a say in this. Especially since I can’t see anything.” 

“Shut up or I’ll kill you anyway,” Zexion spat. 

Riku gritted his teeth but remained silent. 

“What’s wrong with his eyes?!” 

The other man sounded so panicked and so familiar all of a sudden that it caused Riku’s heart to ache. He gritted his teeth even tighter. Both these men were fighting over him like some sort of prize. He hated them both. 

“I’m just temporarily blinded,” Riku muttered anyway. “Stupid spell.” 

“Really, your highness? A blinding spell? C’mon, I thought you were stronger than that.” 

Riku felt his heart stop._ Sora? _

But, no. The voice, though familiar, lacked the jovial tone Sora always used. Even without seeing, Riku could just picture a smirk on this stranger's face and the anger that had started to boil in his heart began to boil over. Damn these people. As soon as he could get his hands and arms free again, he’d walk back to the kingdom if he had too. Maybe not even go back to the castle, but to his hometown instead. He could become a hermit and never have to deal with people ever again. 

Sora might be a bit disappointed if he did that, though. 

“Stop bickering and start the game,” Zexion said, voice laced with impatience.

“Hey man, the only move is the one you have to make. Which cup?”

Riku could feel the agitation coming off of Zexion. How could anyone make a decision with so little information? It was just a guessing game. 

“Well?”

“Hmph. Easy.” Zexion’s voice was sure. “I just have to deduct what I know about you and where you would place the poisoned cup.”

“And what do you know about me?”

“That’s the frustrating part. You wear a mask, so you must be a thief of some kind. You’re used to risks, so you might place the cup in front of you.”

Riku frowned. A mask? Maybe it _was _ Vanitas. But again, Vanitas would have just taken what he wanted by now. 

“So is that your decision?” The stranger sounded truly curious.

“Hardly.” Zexion sounded like he was just getting warmed up. “You also beat my swordswoman, so you must be trained. Training means learning, so you would have learned that all men are mortal, so you would have placed the poison as far away from you as possible, so I can't pick the cup in front of me.” 

“Uh, okay?” 

“But, you would have known that I knew that and so would have placed the cup with the poison in it in front of _ you _ in hopes of tripping me up.”

“Sure?” 

“Just get on with it,” Riku grumbled, feeling his feet start to go numb. Were they going to be here all day?

“Shut up, I’m thinking.” 

There was a sharp prick in his side as Zexion poked him with the dagger. Riku let out the smallest of pained grunts. 

“Hurt him again and the game is done. I will make you drink both cups if you harm him.” 

The stranger's voice sounded deadly enough that Zexion removed the knife from Riku’s side. 

“Make your choice.” 

“Yes, yes,” Zexion huffed. “Very well, then I shall choose. You drink from yours, and I’ll drink from mine.” 

“Very well.” 

Riku frowned. It didn’t seem like a logical choice, just one made based on a guess. 

It was agony to wait while he heard both of them drink. 

“You made the wrong choice.” The stranger said. 

“That’s what you think. What you don’t know is that I’m a master of illusions. While you were distracted by the words, I switched the goblets!” Zexion laughed for a long moment. 

Then the laughing stopped and Riku felt a sudden weight on his side. 

He gasped as the spell on his vision was suddenly lifted, the bright sunlight almost too much after being in darkness for so long. He tried to blink the bright spots away and looked down where Zexion now laid. “Wait… Paopu juice isn’t poisonous at all. How—” 

“I’ve been told before that I’m not very witty. So I just knocked him out. The poison thing was just a distraction while I waited for the right moment.” 

Riku looked up at the man who had spoken. He was indeed wearing a mask, but unlike the full helmet Vanitas favored, it was a thin fabric mask that only covered the upper half of the man’s face. Riku could just make out the man’s blue eyes, and his hair was completely covered by a tricorn hat. 

The whole outfit was reminiscent of a pirate's, and suddenly Riku knew without a shadow of a doubt who his “rescuer” was.

“Come along then, your highness.” 

Riku didn’t have much time to do anything about his revelation as the masked man grabbed his hand and pulled, yanking him away from the bizarre picnic and into a grassy valley. Riku struggled to keep up, but the binding charm Zexion had placed over him was still strong, and he tripped over his own feet. Every time he stumbled, his “rescuer” just pulled him up and urged him to continue. Finally, Riku had enough. 

“Stop!” Riku shouted, digging his heels in the ground even as he tripped over himself. He stumbled again, but this time he landed in the dirt. His riding outfit was ruined, but he could have cared less. What mattered now was that the masked man had fallen as well. Now was Riku’s chance. 

If he could just—

Riku growled, pulling at the cuffs that restricted his ability to draw on his keyblade. These damn things were coming off _now._ He squeezed his eyes shut in concentration as he tried to free himself. 

“Oh.. Sorry. I didn’t realize that—er, here!” 

The masked man mumbled something and suddenly Riku’s hands and feet were free. Way to the Dawn flung to his hand with barely a thought and he immediately stood up, shrugging off the lingering exhaustion caused by the multiple sleep spells. 

He was not going to be bound again. That was for sure. 

“Wow, really? That blade? Hmm. Not what I expected.” 

Riku glared at the masked man. But before he could reply, the sunlight glinted off something in the masked man’s hand and Riku felt his breath hitch for an entirely different reason. 

It was a keyblade. 

_ Sora’s _keyblade. 

“Where’d you get that?!” Riku demanded. 

The masked figure smirked. “Oh? This? What’s it to you?”

Riku gritted his teeth. “I warn you. I am not in the mood. You may have beaten those other three, but if you do not tell me where you came by that blade right now, I will do everything in my power to destroy you.” 

“You can barely stand at the moment, your highness.” The masked figure rolled his eyes. “Sit down before you hurt yourself.” 

“I am not taking orders from a murderous pirate.” 

At the man’s nervous look, Riku continued, feeling his face heat up in anger. So he had been right. “I know who you are!”

“Oh? And who’s that?” The masked man tilted his head, and Riku felt his heart ache. Why did this pirate have to remind him of his beloved?

“You’re the Dread Pirate Sparrow!” 

Beneath the mask, the man’s eyes widened, and a smirk came to his face. “Ah. Well, yes. At your service, your highness.” He didn’t look concerned at all that Riku’s blade was held aloft. 

Riku gritted his teeth. The man was calling his bluff. Riku couldn’t hold this position for much longer. 

Still. He had to make a point. 

“You took my love away from me.” 

“Did I?” The masked man began to stalk around Riku. “Cause, the way I see it, you’re kinda getting married. Must not have been some great love.”

“Shut up!” 

“Sailor, was he? Sailors fall to pirates all the time. Not a great choice. I hope he had a good insurance plan.”

“Shut up!” Riku repeated, lunging forward to strike, but the masked figure blocked easily, a smirk playing on his lips. Riku felt his heart skip double time at that smirk, and he hated himself finding any part of this man attractive. “He was my best friend and a brave, wonderful, brilliant keyblade wielder. And you… you killed him!” 

Riku struck again, but the man parried once more. Another strike and Riku managed to lock their blades, pressing in with what little strength he had left. The man raised his other hand to push back and eventually rolled away. Riku overbalanced and nearly stumbled, though this time he crouched into a more defensible position. 

“He was a swordsman? And you recognize his blade?” The pirate glanced at the keyblade. “Oh… right. I remember him. Probably a good thing he died before he found out you got engaged.” 

“Shut. Up.” Riku raised his blade again. “I’m warning you. Don’t say another word—”

“Did you wait a whole day after he left to get engaged? Or did you at least wait a week for decorum?” 

Riku struck again, but the man deflected it. Riku huffed, feeling shame and tears come to his eyes. Here was the man who killed Sora. The man who took everything from him. And he didn’t have the energy to take the revenge he deserved. He couldn’t even land a blow. “Shut up.” 

To his shame the words came out as a sob, his cheeks burning as the masked man almost looked sympathetic. Riku let his keyblade vanish. His heart was aching too much to keep it in his hand. “I died that day.” 

_ “There, your Highness!” _

The shout came from above. Riku couldn’t see the rider, but he recognized the nightmare Electricorn as Vanitas’. The masked man looked up and Riku took his chance. 

“And you can die, too, for all I care.” 

Riku pushed the nefarious pirate down the rocky valley, feeling some satisfaction as the man let out a startled yelp. 

To his dismay, the man’s yelp turned into a laugh. A bright, warm sound that echoed deep within Riku’s heart. The hat and mask also flew away, revealing spiky brown hair that Riku would know in his sleep. 

“Sora?”

Instantly Riku leaped out to try and stop Sora from falling. Their fingers brushed but before Riku could grasp Sora’s hand, he lost his footing as well. They both tumbled down the ravine, Sora’s laugh echoing around them as they fell. 

Finally, the world stopped spinning as Riku landed on something soft that let out a breathy, giggly “oof”. He let out a groan of his own and stared down at a face he was sure he would never see again. 

“Sora...” Riku reached out, his fingers hovering over Sora’s face, sure that he was still dreaming. Maybe he _had _drowned in that sea of nightmares and this was the last vision his regretful cold heart would grant him. 

But then Sora’s hand reached up and clasped his own, bringing his fingers down those final few centimeters. The brunet’s hand and face were so warm, his eyes so real and his smile so bright. “Riku. It’s okay. I’m here.” 

Riku knew he was crying, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His chest was tight, and he struggled to breathe. “Sora, you… you _ idiot _…” Riku sobbed, bending down to bury his face into Sora’s shirt. It smelled like the sea and the grass surrounding them. But mostly it smelled of Sora, a scent that Riku had nearly forgotten until it was right in front of his face. “You… Why would you—Why didn’t you just say who you were?! I nearly—”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me...” Sora’s voice was soft. 

Riku jerked his head up to look Sora in the eye. “Why wouldn’t I—”

“You’re the one getting _ married, _ Riku.” Sora’s eyes were bright with his own unshed tears. “I just had to make sure you were okay when I got word that the Prince groom was kidnapped. I’ll return you to your beloved—” 

“Shut up,” Riku interrupted. “It’s just a stupid alliance. I don’t love Vanitas. Get it through that thick skull of yours.” 

“Really? Even though he looks—”

Riku shook his head before Sora could finish the question. “He may look like you, but trust me. You two are nothing alike. I only ever loved _ you._” 

“Loved?”

Riku glared at the brunet. Even after all these years, Sora was still the only one who could frustrate him like this. “Love. I love you. I never, ever stopped, even when the pain felt like it would kill me.” 

“Oh.” Sora’s eyes were wide with shock. “I— I love you too. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry for making you wait this long…”

“I—” Riku found that he was done with words and instead pinned Sora to the ground with his body weight. Now Sora could never disappear on him again. He inhaled softly before leaning in and—

—-

_ “I thought you said this wasn’t a kissing book!” I complained to Mom every time he got to this part. He _promised _that this wasn’t a kissing book. _

_ After my complaint, Mom would always sigh and skip through several pages. When I protested that he might have been skipping past parts of the story, Mom would sigh again. _

_ “I’m just skipping the dreaded kissing scenes. They’re two young lovers that just reunited after years apart. Do you really think that they settled for just _one _kiss? Give them a minute…” _

_ After that, he would skip at least 20 pages before resuming the story. _

_ And don’t worry, I’ll get back to that narrative as well, but not until you after I tell you, dear reader, that what Mom was skipping was not in fact 20 pages of kissing. _

_ In the original text, the author, T. Nomura, actually took this opportunity to go on a 20-page divergence to describe the scenery that surrounded Sora and Riku. And I mean, we are talking paragraphs on the exact color of a blade of grass. Perhaps Nomura was also giving the young couple time to reunite properly without even the prying eyes of the reader. _

_ However, upon discovering this section in the original text, my foster siblings and I were all disappointed for various reasons. We wanted appropriate filler here, and it was decided that Invi wrote the best reunion scene. But, given that it was also twenty pages long and not part of the original text, I will sum it up here. _

_ They kissed. A lot. _

_ Oh? Don’t like that summary? Hey, I’m just focused on the original story. But maybe if you are persuasive enough, Invi might be encouraged to publish her reunition story as a separate companion piece… _

_ But for now: they kissed. _

_ A lot. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh darn it Luxu! Let the boys kiss! ^_^


	7. Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Vanitas isn't completely sold on this marriage thing either, but he was promised something he dearly wished to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even during the excitement of soriku week, I didn't forget to update this fic as well! A quick chapter focusing on Vanitas. I hope you enjoy! :D

Vanitas sighed from on top of his Electricorn, bored with both his Master’s droning and the quiet conversation happening behind him that Terra and Aqua thought he couldn't hear. Which was ridiculous. Of course, he could hear them. His mask just provided protection for his head but did nothing to muffle the voices of those around him. 

“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing? I mean, if Riku left on his own then—”

“But we don’t know that for sure. What if he’s in danger?”

“But it would make sense if he just left. Vanitas is—” 

“Vanitas can hear you and is not deaf!” Vanitas growled, glaring at them even if he knew they couldn’t see it due to his mask. They might just feel it if he just glared hard enough. 

“Calm down. They don’t mean it like—”

Vanitas turned his glare onto Ven, even if the blonde also couldn’t see it. “They meant it exactly like it sounded.” 

“Okay, well. What I meant was— er—” Ven stumbled over his words, and Vanitas suddenly found himself grateful for the mask Xehanort made him wear. A fond smile had appeared for a moment, and it would have ruined everything. 

_ Your face shows every emotion it comes across. Hardly appropriate for a Prince.  _

At least, with the mask, if he slipped up it wasn’t like Ven could see it. Or Xehanort. Or  _ anyone _ . 

“Forget it,” Vanitas huffed, urging his nightmare steed forward. There was no point in arguing over it. He knew that Terra and Aqua didn’t like him, must less trust him. Which was fine. They didn’t need to. They weren’t supposed to. If things went as Xehanort predicted, by the end of the year they’d be dead and Vanitas wouldn’t have to care what they thought. 

He caught Xehanort staring at him with disdain, and Vanitas glared for a moment before looking away. He could practically hear the reprimand without the old man saying anything. 

_ We have appearances to keep up.  _

_ Yeah, yeah, I know, _ Vanitas responded to the unspoken words. 

Xehanort had come to him that morning, dragging the servant girl, Naminé, behind him. When prodded, Naminé admitted that she had seen Riku go for a ride on his Electricorn that morning, and he had not returned. 

_ “What do you want me to do about it?” Vanitas grumbled. He wanted to return to his letter. Maybe this time if he just explained or something, the Farm Boy would—  _

_ Xehanort snatched the letter from his desk, crumpling it up and throwing it into the wastebasket without looking at it. “Have you forgotten the plan?” _

_ “So what if Riku goes running off?” Lucky bastard.  _

_ “Still you don’t see the full picture.” Xehanort took a step further inside the room. Behind him, Naminé hovered at the open doorway, not given her leave to escape, but also terrified to step inside.  _

_ Vanitas felt a spike of pity towards the girl, but then the rise of jealousy overrode it. Foolish girl. Just escape while you can. Run back to the Badlands and escape with the Farm Boy.  _

_ They were both fools.  _

_ “Riku has been kidnapped. We found evidence of such by the river in the forest.” Xehanort’s voice was dry as if he was reading from a manuscript instead of raising the alarm about a kidnapping. _

_ The river in the King’s Forest?  _

_ “But that’s…”  _

_ It was inaccessible, guarded by a powerful barrier. A would-be kidnapper would need permission from the king himself to enter from the river and Vanitas rather doubted Eraqus would give that permission to just anyone. _

_ Or at least, not normally. _

_ “What did you do?” _

_ Xehanort smirked but didn’t answer, and instead, he turned back to the wastebasket where he had tossed Vanitas’s letter. “A marriage alliance is strong, yes, but an alliance strengthened in grief would be greater. The fool Eraqus will be so busy looking at enemies from outside, we can take control from within.”  _

_ Vanitas gripped his pen. Grief from what? One missing fisherman turned Prince? Not like anyone was going to miss Riku. But of course, one plan was never enough for his Master. There were always backups.  _

_ “A King who rules all never goes unloved, Vanitas. And isn’t that what you want?”  _

_ Vanitas looked over to his Master’s gold eyes, similar to his own. They weren’t related by blood, and Vanitas didn’t even like Xehanort. He often wondered if Xehanort only picked Vanitas up from whatever garbage heap his parents had thrown him in solely because they had similar enough eyes that he could pass Vanitas off as his own.  _

_ Another backup plan to have just in case.  _

_ Vanitas could see through most of Xehanort’s plans. Despite the old man’s implications, Vanitas knew that Xehanort conspired to take the crowns of the three kingdoms for himself. And knowing the stubbornness of the old man, he likely had another convoluted plan to live forever.  _

_ But Xehanort had promised. Promised that Vanitas would have someone to love him. And no matter what plans, pain, or manipulation he played on Vanitas, Xehanort had never broken a promise.  _

_ Vanitas looked over at Naminé again, who was silent, but held a hand over her mouth, probably already guessing exactly what Xehanort would ask of him. Vanitas knew too, but it was better to get these things in the open. “What do you want me to do about it?”  _

_ “Hmph,” the king huffed. “Should the kidnappers fail, you finish it.”  _

_ Vanitas clenched his fist. It was probably too much to ask that Riku would be the one to love him. That was fine. It would hurt too much since looking at him only reminded Vanitas of Farm Boy. _

_ “Right.” Vanitas agreed. Anything for the end goal.  _

What they hadn’t planned on (surprisingly for Xehanort, who was rarely caught off guard) was that Terra, Aqua and Ventus had decided to accompany them on their search and rescue of Prince Riku. 

It would be a little more difficult to carry out an assassination with those kinds of witnesses. 

Gritting his teeth, Vanitas spurred his nightmare on. They were heading for the top of the Cliffs of Insanity to check the ruins of an old fort. It was absolutely  _ insane _ for them to check there, but given Xehanort’s insistence, Vanitas figured they would find something. 

He wondered what kind of kidnappers for hire would agree to scale the cliffs. It was the quickest route to Radiant Garden, but an absolute death wish to climb. Their search party had to circle around the cliffs just to reach the old fort. 

When they didn’t find anything at the fort, Vanitas half-thought that maybe the kidnappers had fallen to their deaths with Riku. But alas, there was evidence of a rope that had been used to help climb the cliffs. 

But there was also no one at the fort. Vanitas glanced over at Xehanort. There was a frown on the old man’s face. 

This was unexpected then. 

Suddenly, something in the dirt caught Vanitas’s attention. He took his mask off to see better, the breeze feeling good in his hair. 

“He’s not here,” Terra observed, and Vanitas rolled his eyes. 

“Obviously.” Vanitas knelt down closer to the dirt. There was a definite footprint there. Several in fact. 

“What are you staring at?” 

Xehanort’s voice was sharp and annoyed. Vanitas clenched his fist to stop himself from using the same tone to respond. 

“Footprints in the dust.” He turned to Ven. “Get down here. I want to try something.” 

“A please would be nice.” Still, Ven dismounted his own Electricorn. 

Vanitas rolled his eyes before he remembered that his mask was no longer on his head. He thought about putting it back on, but it took forever to get his hair to stay. “Manners are for peasants.” 

He ignored whatever dismayed sound Aqua made and pointed to the other set of footprints instead. “You stand there.” 

Ven frowned but did as told. His own footprints dwarfed those of whoever had been fighting. Vanitas stood in the footprints of the opponent. 

His foot fit perfectly. 

Not Riku’s then. 

Vanitas studied the field, picturing the battle in his head based on the footprints and dust left behind. They expanded the whole field. He summoned Void Gear, striking quickly. 

Ven let out a yelp and summoned his own blade just in time, blocking quickly. His foot stepped back right into another footprint. The blonde frowned and retaliated, pushing Vanitas back into another footprint. 

“Ven!” Terra shouted. 

“Vanitas!” 

Rolling his eyes, Vanitas stood down. If Aqua and Terra got involved, they’d be here all day. “I was just proving a point. There was a keyblade battle here. Against two masters.” He pointed to where Ven stood. “One wielder was small, maybe female?”

“And the other?” Terra also dismounted, coming over to stand between Vanitas and Ven. “Do you think it’s Riku?”

Vanitas frowned, studying the footprints again. Closer to the edge of the cliff were more footprints, indicating that there had been others, as well as hoof prints that weren’t from any of their steeds. “They may have carried Riku away, and two stayed behind to fight for whatever reason.” 

“Fight? Amongst themselves?”

“I suppose to split whatever ransom they want in fewer pieces,” Xehanort grumbled. “It doesn’t matter. Right, Vanitas?”

Vanitas fought the urge to flinch under that stare. He supposed to anyone else it was a normal look, but Vanitas knew what that look meant.  _ Act accordingly.  _

“Yes. We need to find Riku.” Vanitas ducked his head, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “The winner of the fight headed down the path to the quarry. They will pay if my future husband isn’t safe.” 

He mounted his nightmare again and pulled the horse away. He hated to admit it, but sparring against Ventus had been fun. If only for a little bit. In the years since Ven had been asleep, Vanitas had forgotten what fun was. He risked another look at the blonde. 

He didn’t feel that squeeze in his heart anymore, and that concerned him. He used to always feel it whenever Xehanort would drag him along to the Kingdom of Light for playdates with Ven while Xehanort and Eraqus talked. Now… his chest felt warm at the sight of the blonde, but there was no…  _ squeezing. _

Now his heart only hurt when he thought of the Farm Boy back in the Badlands. 

_ Emotions are awful. Who needs them.  _

They reached the quarry quickly, and even Terra could tell that a magic battle had devolved into a fistfight. 

“I don’t understand why they kept fighting, but Riku never tried to escape in the chaos?” Terra crossed his arms. “That’s… not like him.” 

“Only if you’re under the impression that Riku’s ali— awake.” Vanitas crossed his own arms, glaring back. “Or he might be in league with the kidnappers, and this is a trap.” 

“Riku wouldn’t—”

“Weren’t you the one who suggested that he ran away?!” Vanitas gripped his hand, feeling Void Gear appear with barely a thought, his whole body thrumming with the urge to fight. There was just something about Terra and Aqua that got him riled up. 

Terra’s face shifted into something less idiotic and more fierce as his own keyblade appeared in his hand. “Run away from your attitude maybe, but he wouldn’t let himself be kidnapped.” 

“And yet, all the evidence suggests otherwise. You’re just too stupid to see—” Vanitas cut himself off as he raised his blade to block Terra’s surprisingly quick attack. He gritted his teeth as the blades connected and a vibration traveled up his arm. Terra may be an idiot but he hit like a rock. 

Vanitas tried to press back, but Terra’s strength would quickly overwhelm him, and the dark-haired Prince dodged under the attack instead. He disappeared into the shadows, barely feeling the darkness claw at his heart before he reemerged behind Terra. 

He raised his blade to attack, aiming for the idiot’s unarmed back. He struck.

His attack was blocked by a different, but no less familiar blade. He had just been sparring against it moments ago. 

“Dammit, Ventus!” Vanitas shouted, swinging again. Ven blocked and pushed back, putting Vanitas on the defensive. 

“Terra! Calm down!” 

“I am calm!” 

“Your keyblade says otherwise.”

Vanitas blinked, some of the irritation fading as he glanced behind Ven to the arguing couple on the other side. Aqua had blocked Terra’s keyblade and now it appeared the two were having a stare off. 

It only lasted a moment or two longer before Terra let out a deep sigh. “I’m… just worried. Riku’s not one to get kidnapped. You know that.”

“I know,” Aqua agreed, letting her keyblade fade after Terra’s disappeared. “We all are. Even Vanitas, I’m sure.” 

Vanitas gritted his teeth, letting his own keyblade fall to the wayside. “If he gets himself kidnapped or killed, he’s not worthy to be a Prince of the Badlands. Only the strongest survive.” 

“Then how are you still kicking?” 

Vanitas growled, summoning his keyblade again, ready to strike them all down. It didn’t matter who said it, he didn’t care. It’s not like he asked—

“Vanitas.” 

The word was sharp and poignant, causing his heart to jump and ice to spread through his veins, freezing him just as easily as any blizzard spell. 

He gritted his teeth, feeling a sharp and familiar pain in his jaw before he dropped Void Gear. It dissipated into darkness before it hit the grass. 

Vanitas half-wished he could disappear too. 

_ “Shut up!”  _

Vanitas turned at the sound. It sounded like— 

_ Farm Boy? _

“Riku!” Terra shouted in return. 

_ Right.  _ Vanitas tilted his head, feeling a smirk come to his face. Right. Riku. Riku the not quite as idiotic as the rest of them. Riku the swordsman who looked just like— 

“Vanitas.” 

He felt the old man’s eyes bore into him. Vanitas could fight him, take the crown for his own and force Farm Boy to be his friend again. But Xehanort would win. Despite his age, he always won. 

So Vanitas would play along. Maybe they wouldn’t have to kill Riku, and Vanitas would have someone who would at least be bound to him. To just stay with him so Vanitas would never be alone again. Someone who wouldn’t abandon him, like his parents, and Ventus, and Farm Boy, and— 

“Soon, Vanitas. Soon you can release all your anger.” 

Vanitas gritted his teeth again and nodded sharply. Right. He could release all his wrath and hatred out on them later. They would— 

But wouldn’t that just mean he would be alone again?

He took a deep breath, forcing the emotions down. Bottle them up, don’t let them out, even if they itched and squirmed like monsters just under his skin. He couldn’t let them out. 

_ “Over here, your highness!”  _

Vanitas let out a sigh and hurried past Xehanort, catching his nightmare Electricorn’s reins to lead him to where Ventus had shouted. 

He spotted Riku’s silver hair further down the valley quickly, But there was someone else with him. A masked man Vanitas had never seen before. 

Suddenly, Riku pushed the masked man out of sight, down a steep hill or something. But the force must have caused Riku to lose his balance, as he started to tumble down as well. 

Vanitas frowned, looking around for a path they could use with the horses. “C’mon. If Riku is fighting off his kidnappers, he might need help. We’ll need our horses to catch up with them before they even think about heading in the Fire Swamp.”

“You really think they’ll head in there?” Ven asked, mounting his own steed. 

Vanitas shrugged. “The only way to get out of the country is by sea or by land. To go over the land they would have to backtrack, but the quickest route to the sea is through the Fire Swamp. I suppose we better get there before Riku manages to get himself killed trying to get through it. It’ll be easier for us to enter on the other side though. Right?” He turned to Aqua for confirmation as she was the future heir to these parts.

For now at least. 

Aqua hesitated for a moment before nodding. “That’s correct, but if we can catch Riku before he enters—” 

“Why don’t you three head back to the castle?” Xehanort interrupted, “Or cut them off at the seaport if they somehow survive the swamp and reach the other side before Vanitas and I do?” 

Xehanort’s voice had that fake reasonable tone again. The one that set Vanitas’s teeth on edge. He tightened his jaw to the point of pain when he saw Aqua and Terra agree to the suggestion and turn back, Ven following them like a stupid lost puppy. 

How did Aqua and the others not see through Xehanort’s manipulation? They deserved to have their throne usurped if they were that gullible. If Riku did survive the swamp, Xehanort would just have him killed on the other side. 

Speaking of, Vanitas glanced at Xehanort finding a deep frown on his face. Deeper than usual. 

This was also unexpected then. It was never planned for Riku to reach the Fire Swamp. 

Vanitas turned to hide his smirk. 

So Xehanort could be caught unaware? A chink in his otherwise impenetrable armor? 

Vanitas would have to think. Find a way to use this to his advantage. 

Maybe Vanitas could be king of all three realms after all. 


	8. Fire Swamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sora and Riku navigate the dangerous Fire Swamp and meet new friends...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write!! (for many reasons) 😁😁😁 It's also one of the longest chapters. I hope you enjoy!!!

“Sora! This is— The Fire Swamp is— Look out!” 

Riku threw himself over Sora, feeling the heat of a red hot ball of fire as it passed over them. The fireball had come from nowhere and proceeded to disappear into the dark forest. 

“The Fire Swamp kind of lives up to his name,” Riku finished, standing up and offering a hand to Sora. 

Even in this dark forest, Sora’s grin was bright and cheerful. “Aww. Don’t worry about it Riku! It just keeps us on our toes!! And— Oh!” 

Riku frowned but suddenly found himself in the dirt again as Sora threw him to the ground. This time, Sora blocked the next fireball with his keyblade, sending it ricochetting back into the swamp. 

There was a sort of roaring in his ears, which Riku was starting to realize was not the sound of the blood rushing to his face but an indication of another incoming fireball. He glanced up and saw another bright orange glow aiming right for Sora’s unprotected back. Riku gritted his teeth and summoned his own blade, using his power to call forth a dark barrier. 

When the fireball met it, it dispersed against the wall of dark magic, fizzling out into nothing. Riku waited, but there didn’t seem to be any more. Hopefully, they only happened in threes. He turned, finding Sora frowning slightly at him and Riku blushed, hurriedly dispersing the dark barrier. 

Sora was never supposed to know about that. Dark magic was dangerous. and often used by villains and enemies. But Riku had managed to control it and used it to protect things. 

“That was—”

“It’s nothing!” Riku spat, turning away. “It’s just after you... Well, after I got that letter saying you died, light magic was hard to concentrate on. I thought my light was gone so how could I access it?”

He felt a warm hand grip his own and when he turned, he saw Sora staring at him, not in disgust and mistrust as he had feared, but with understanding. 

“I— The darkness became easier to work with, so Terra had me focus on that just so I could keep practicing magic. He had similar issues so he understood. And it worked, at least until I was able to find my light again.”

“How?” Sora wondered, squeezing his hand. 

“My memories of you.” That part he could say easily. “I would just… remember your smile and though it hurt, the love I had for you allowed me to see the light again.” He shrugged. “Sometimes the dark magic is still powerful though so..” he trailed off with a shrug, but Sora just squeezed his hand tighter. 

“You’ve gotten so strong, Riku.” 

Sora’s hand let go of his own. Then he felt both of Sora’s hands reaching out to trace up Riku’s wrists and forearms, trailing over his biceps and up to his shoulders. Riku finally managed to look Sora in the eyes again. 

“Well, I didn’t have much else to focus on. I didn’t have my favorite distraction.”

Sora’s smile shifted into a small frown. “I’m sorry. I’ve kept you waiting for so long… But your marriage to—”

Riku stepped forward so he caught Sora up in a hug, pulling the brunet close. He shifted one hand so he could take off Sora’s tricorn hat, letting it fall to the ground. He buried both hands and face in brown spikes. The moment in the valley hadn’t been enough to prove to him that this was real. Not some kind of illusion. 

But with every sniff of Sora’s hair, musky and full of Sora’s scent, the idea of Sora’s survival was starting to solidify into reality. Sora was really here. 

“I told you,” Riku whispered. “That’s just some stupid political alliance. I mean, Van’s alright. We kinda bonded over, well, over a broken heart. But I don’t love him.”

Sora wrapped his own arms around Riku’s waist, squeezing tight. “That’s good.” 

He suddenly pulled away, leaving Riku feeling cold. 

“Wait, actually. That’s not good! That’s bad!” Sora put his hands on his hips. “You were gonna marry someone you don't love? C’mon, Riku! Don’t do that to yourself. May your heart be your guiding key, remember? How can you do that if you don’t love each other?” 

Riku frowned, feeling a spark of frustrated anger he had thought had died years ago. How could Sora be so thick? “How could my heart guide me anywhere? It died that day I got the letter that said your ship had met with the Dread Pirate Sparrow’s. I thought you were dead.” 

Taking a deep breath, Riku tried to organize his thoughts. “Sparrow never leaves survivors.”  _ So how did— _

Riku’s thoughts were cut off when Sora placed a hand on his cheek. “I’m not worth waiting for. I mean… of course, I hoped, but I also hoped you would have been happy. I could have been happy knowing you were.”

Riku tilted his head to press his lips against Sora’s palm. “I’ve never been happier than right at this moment, Sora. I thought I lost you forever.”

Sora grinned so widely that Riku had to draw him into his arms again. 

“You know… when I was traveling, I heard this saying. ‘Death doesn’t stop true love. It only delays it.’” 

Riku let out a small sigh into Sora’s hair. “I’m sorry for ever doubting you.” 

Sora shook his head. “I’m sorry for leaving you alone this long.” He squeezed Riku one last time before pulling away and taking a pale hand in his own. “I should have gotten back to you sooner.”

Riku squeezed Sora’s hand before letting go so Sora could retrieve his discarded hat. “How did you get back to me? And in this.” He gestured with his free hand to Sora’s outfit, grinning when Sora tugged his hat back on. “Where have you been?”

Sora grinned, turning to walk deeper into the Swamp. “Ahh, well, you see—” 

Between one breath and the next, Sora was _ gone. _

“Sora?!” Riku felt his heart rate speed up. What the hell?! Where did— Was he even—?

Had Sora even been there at all?

He spotted Sora’s hat where it laid on top of a disturberd bit of ground. The panic that had been building in Riku’s chest now spread throughout his whole body. A cold river of dread flowed through his veins as he picked up the hat with shaking hands. He had heard stories about this. 

The lightning sand. Could suck anyone under faster than they could blink. 

“Sora!” 

No! He wasn’t going to lose Sora again! 

But he was wasting time. Every second he just stood here Sora was— 

Thinking quickly, Riku dropped Sora’s hat and looked at the ground. Those vines he had tripped over earlier— There!

He yanked, dragging a thick vine out of the dirt and tied it around his waist. 

Then he dove in. 

Obviously he couldn’t see anything. If he even thought of opening his eyes they would have been coated in thick gritty sand, blinding him. It was thicker than water to swim through but he had to try, had to hope there was a bottom where Sora now rested. Hope that it didn’t go on forever. 

In the end, his heart led him to where he needed to go. It was like a light pulling him closer, a bond tightening until he reached out and touched Sora’s hand. 

He pulled Sora’s hand, curling his fingers around the thick vine at his waist, hoping Sora could hold on. Then Riku started to climb. Sora had called him strong, now it was his chance to prove it. 

He felt a second pair of hands intersecting with his own as Sora helped. 

Riku’s chest burned with the effort to hold his breath, each pull becoming more and more of a burden. 

Just when the air burst out of his lungs, his hand reached up and met with fresh air. He grabbed onto the vine and yanked hard until he broke the surface. He gasped in as much air as he could, coughing as sand entered his mouth and throat. He heard a similar gasp for breath next to him as Sora coughed and choked, shaking his head to try and clear the sand from his eyes. He had gotten a worse eyeful of it, no warning before he was pulled under. 

Riku tried to clean off his hand as best he could before reaching out, gently wiping the grains of sand away, smiling when blue eyes blinked open. 

After a moment of more coughing, Sora grinned. “Well. That was an adventure.”

There was a burst of laughter, and Riku was startled to find that it had come from himself. Once he started though, he couldn’t stop, coughing out sand and laughing in turn. Only  _ Sora _ would think another brush with death was an adventure. He felt Sora join him in his laughter and Riku’s chest felt lighter than it had in years. 

Eventually, they pulled themselves to solid ground and rest there for a bit. Riku’s laughter died down to giggles as he pulled Sora close, needing to hold him for a moment longer. Sora returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around Riku’s waist and holding on tightly. 

Riku was unsure if they lied there for minutes or hours, but soon the forest began to darken even more as night began to fall. Reluctantly, Riku pulled out of Sora’s embrace and stood up. They had to make it through the Fire Swamp to get to— 

To get to wherever Sora needed to go. 

He held his hand out, and Sora took it with a grin. The brunet jumped up to kiss Riku’s cheek briefly before leaning back down to pick his tricorn hat back up, brushing the dirt off. 

Riku watched with a fond smile, his hand touching the spot Sora had just kissed as Sora stood back up. The fondness turned to confusion as Sora froze, looking over Riku’s shoulder. 

Riku turned quickly but didn’t see anything. “What's wrong?” 

“You know, if we need to, this really wouldn’t be so bad of a place to build a home.” Sora’s voice was light and teasing. 

The words, as well as Sora’s behavior just moments ago, threw Riku off. He turned back to Sora, raising an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Sora laughed. “Well, I mean. Besides the general smogginess from the fire, the air isn’t that bad for a swamp. And I’m sure there’s freshwater somewhere.” He reached out to take Riku’s hand, still talking about this crazy idea. 

“I suppose we’d have to build in a tree to dodge the uh—” He quickly pulled Riku out of the way of yet another fireball. “Fireballs. “And the quicksand. But just think, we’d never be bored. We could fish and just spend our days being completely unbothered by other people.” 

Riku chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand. “Tempting, very tempting. But what about the R.O.U.S.’s?”

Sora scoffed. “Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t believe they exist.”

\---

_ I have to interrupt here to point out Sora’s the ludicrousness of Sora's statement. A) of course R.O.U.S.’s exist as anyone who has ever seen Pizza Rat can attest, and b) Sora is being ridiculously thick if he didn’t see the one that had obviously been following them. R.O.U.S.’s are huge. And so to miss the one following them is unforgivingly stupid.  _

_ And to the detractors that would say that Sora purposely didn’t mention the R.O.U.S. to make Riku feel better: You obviously never had a spider on your head that your supposed friend and brother didn’t tell you about until it was too late, and you were more terrified than if they had just told you there was a spider on your head.  _

_ (Take notes, Gula.) _

_ Point is, Sora should have noticed and told Riku about the R.O.U.S., but it’s fine and I’m sure this won’t come back to bite him in the butt at all. _ _ _

\---

“Rodents of Unusual Size?” Sora grinned, “I don’t believe they exist.”

Anything else Sora might have added to that conversation was cut off with a yell as something burst out of the bushes and attacked Sora. 

Riku gasped and stepped back in shock. Whatever the thing was, it was dark, furry, and had a long skinny tail. 

An R.O.U.S. 

It didn’t attack with teeth and claws like he had read about, but instead, it fought like a warrior, a long thin stick in its hand that Sora worked hard to deflect quickly while trying to summon his own blade. But it was evident that Sora hadn’t yet recovered from his trip into the quicksand — on top of whatever else he had done that day — and his movements were still sluggish and slow. 

Riku gritted his teeth, summoning his blade and blasting a quick dark firaga to draw the creature’s attention. 

It turned, and Riku nearly laughed at how… bizarre it looked. It didn’t quite look like the castle mice, its ears too round and eyes much too knowing. It might only come up to Riku’s knee, but it was quick and relentless in its attack. And it was attacking  _ Sora _ , so it had to be taken out. 

He focused his dark power in his hand, summoning another dark ball of fire that he threw at the creature. The R.O.U.S. blocked it efficiently and attacked. Riku realized why Sora had been struggling so much. The mouse-like creature was much stronger than its size gave it credit for. Riku gritted his teeth and pushed back, surprised that the mouse’s stick weapon hadn’t cracked under the attack of Riku’s keyblade. 

When the creature attacked again, Riku blocked it with a dark barrier, then lunged forward, his keyblade locking with the other’s stick with a loud clang. 

Wait… a clang?

Riku frowned. A meeting of wood and metal should have not made that sound. 

He didn’t have another moment to really think of it though, as the creature backed up to launch his own fire spell. Riku ducked, rolling through the swamp grass to avoid the flames. As soon as he righted himself again, he launched into another attack. 

_ Clang! _

Riku gritted his teeth as his blade clashed against— 

Against Sora’s keyblade?

“Hold on!” Sora grunted between gritted teeth. “I think we’re on the same side.”

Riku frowned, wondering what Sora was talking about. He glanced over and saw that Sora was holding off the R.O.U.S. with another keyblade. 

How—?

Sora had mentioned that Riku had gotten stronger, but this? To wield  _ two  _ keyblades? 

How strong did that make  _ Sora _ ? 

“Look! See! We have keyblades, too. Both of us. Just like you,” Sora shouted at the R.O.U.S. 

What?

He took a closer look at the long stick the R.O.U.S. was holding, remembering the clash he had heard and felt earlier. The dark light of the swamp made it hard to see, but as he focused, his eyes adjusted to the light. The stick was long but had a strange branch at the end. And the mouse’s hand was wrapped around what Riku could only call a hilt. 

There was another blast of fire from the depths of the swamp itself, aimed straight for Sora’s back. Riku gasped and grabbed the back of Sora’s heavy jacket to pull him away from the creature. 

As the fire passed over, the R.O.U.S.’s weapon caught the light and Riku was able to see the gleam of gold-colored metal, though it looked dingy and dull. It also lit up the strange branch and Riku gasped as a mirror of Sora’s own blade became clearly visible. 

It was a keyblade. 

“Wait, Donald!” 

Riku raised a hand to his head. This was too much. Just— too much to an already bizarre couple of days. First, he was kidnapped, then his true love came back from the dead, and now the giant mouse was talking. 

“Donald! I think they’re friends!”

“Yes!” Sora agreed, hurriedly nodding. “Yes, we’re friends! I promise! My name’s Sora! And this is Riku, my best friend and, uh, I love him.”

Riku stared as Sora held his hand out to the mouse creature, both at the continued weirdness of what was happening, but also at the carefree way Sora was able to make friends. 

And maybe a bit at how easy Sora was able to tell strangers that he loved Riku. 

With some hesitation, the mouse shook Sora’s hand. “I’m Mickey Mouse! And, uh... Guys? You can come out now!” 

There was a rustle in the bushes, and two more creatures ran out with a yell. 

Riku immediately put himself between Sora and the new creatures and was surprised when Mickey put himself in the way as well, holding his hands up. The creatures slowed down, allowing Riku to get a better look at them. One was taller than himself, with long floppy ears and a dog-like muzzle. The other was clearly a duck, though much larger than any Riku had seen before. 

“Guys, stop! They are friends!” Mickey protested. 

The newcomers didn’t look convinced. The duck’s glare was particularly scathing while the dog-like creature’s angry look shifted to confusion for a moment. 

“Friends? But they attacked you?”

“They might be tricking you!” the duck shouted. 

“We’re friends!” Sora stepped next to Riku and offered the two a grin. “I’m Sora. Who are you?”

The dog creature broke under Sora’s friendly look first. “I’m Goofy! And this is Donald!”

Donald continued to glare, tapping his foot in irritation now that the fighting had evidently ended. He pointed one feathered wing at Riku. “Why were you attacking our King?!” 

Riku blinked. “King?” 

The mouse? Riku shook his head and wrapped an arm around Sora. 

“I was defending Sora against your King.” 

The duck didn’t look appeased by that explanation, but the Mouse King Mickey laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Gosh, sorry about that. We’re not used to human visitors.”

“Uh, yeah,” Riku stated, gesturing around at the swamp. “This place isn’t exactly human-friendly. With the fireballs and all.”

“Oh that’s just Donald,” Goofy said, covering a giggled with his hand. “He doesn’t have very good aim.” 

“Goofy!” 

Sora laughed, leaning further into Riku’s embrace companionably. “We’re sorry for intruding. But we’re just passing through. I need to get back to my ship before Riku ends up married.”

All three creatures look up at Riku in confusion and Riku felt his face heat up. “It’s a long story.” 

“Well, it’s not safe to travel through the swamp at night. The quicksand and all,” Mickey looked apologetic. “But you can stay the night at our camp.”

Donald’s opinion on that was quickly muffled by Goofy’s hand as Sora’s grin brightened. “That would be great! Thanks!” 

Riku tightened his arm briefly around Sora’s shoulders before pulling away and taking his hand. “I’m not letting you go in case something else tries to separate us.” 

Sora turned to look at him with a different sort of smile. One that was softer and caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners. “Okay. I won’t let go either.” 

Riku met that smile with one of his own, leaning down and to press a soft kiss on Sora’s cheek. 

Together they followed the three creatures through the swamp, Mickey leading the way along the safe paths to avoid the quicksand. 

\----

_ “But, Mom, how did the R.O.U.S.’s learn magic and how to wield a keyblade? How did they learn to speak? Where did they come from? What are they?” If this story was a fairy tale or a history or a myth, surely it held the answers to where the R.O.U.S.’s came from and why they still haunted my nightmares.  _

_ I had these questions as a kid, and I figured you would too, reader. And Mom’s answer to these questions? _

_ “I dunno. It’s not written down.”  _

_ Needless to say, child-me wasn’t satisfied with this answer, and adult-me is even less satisfied. When my siblings and I found the book again, we scoured through it, looking for the answer. We meticulously read every page, searched every chapter, every boring description of grass and scenery. And—  _

_ I dunno. It’s not written down.  _

_ The original author, T. Nomura never explains it.  _

_ Which I guess is some kind of metaphor or symbolism or just a moment of “Shhh. Don’t question it.”  _

\---

Soon they saw distant flames illuminating a spot in the swamp. As they got closer, Riku saw more creatures of similar size to Mickey and his friends. More ducks, mice, dogs, and even a cow and horse. All enlarged and walking around on their hind legs as easily as humans. 

After some explanation by Mickey, the R.O.U.S. community welcomed them, inviting Sora and Riku to sit at their campfire and eat whatever food they could. Riku wasn’t sure what was in the stew they passed over, but after going over a day with only the snack from Ienzo earlier, he found that he was starving and dug in eagerly. Sora practically slurped up the soup in a single gulp. 

Afterward, three small ducks came up (nephews of Donald who was still glaring at Riku) and asked Sora where he got all the cool pirate clothes. 

Riku reached over and took Sora’s hand. “I am rather curious as well. You never did tell me your story.”

Sora blushed and looked away, scratching his face with his free hand in a gesture that was so familiar that Riku felt his chest tighten again in barely contained love. Sora was here. He was actually here and alive. 

“Uh… well… It’s not very exciting, you know. I mean it is, but—”

“Dread Pirate Sparrow, Sora,” Riku prompted, squeezing his love’s hand gently. “Start there.”

“Alright.” Sora grinned leaning over to kiss Riku’s cheek before launching into his tale. “What you guessed before was the truth. I am the Dread Pirate Sparrow. I’ve had the title for a few months now. Which I’ve really just spent trying to get back to you.”

Riku frowned. “How’s that possible? He’s been marauding for 20 years or so, and you only left me a few years ago.”

“Ah well… you see.” Sora paused, seemingly to try and figure out how to explain himself. “Look, the truth of it is, when the Dread Pirate Sparrow boarded the ship I was on, I begged her not to kill us—”

“Her?” Riku hadn’t expected the Dread Pirate to be a woman. 

“Riku,” Sora grumbled. “How am I gonna tell my story if you keep interrupting?”

The trio of ducklings laughed, probably at Riku’s heated face, and he quickly buried it in Sora’s shoulder, breathing in warm leather, seawater, and Sora’s natural smell. “Sorry. I’ll shut up.”

Sora laughed and wrapped his arm around Riku’s waist. “You can ask your questions after the story, okay?” 

Riku nodded into Sora’s shoulder, already comfortable with his position and not inclined to change it soon. Maybe he would be less inclined to ask questions if he just pretended Sora’s story was like the fairy tales his friend would tell when they were younger. They always made Riku feel better, no matter the funk he had gotten himself in. 

If it were a fairy tale, it would have a happy ending. Riku could use a happy ending right about now. 

“Anyway, so I begged her not to kill us, pleading to let us return to our loved ones. I think my words intrigued her, or maybe it was my keyblade. She always said it was my whining—” Sora let out a chuckle at that last part, and Riku reveled in the sound. “But in any case, she asked what loved one I had to return to. So I told her about you, Riku. Your beauty and your strength and your kindness.”

Riku felt his face heat up again, and he shook his head. “Don’t lie. I’m not any of that.” 

“But you look pretty strong, Mr. Riku!” one of the ducks protested. 

“Yeah! You look like you could lift a whole tree!” 

“He did once!” Sora exclaimed and Riku felt him shift in his seat to hold his arms out. 

Oh no, not this story. 

“Riku once got this idea to build a raft. It was before we started really keyblade training and Riku was restless and wanted to see the world. So he went and dug up this huge tree. It was like…. This big.” 

Riku had to move from his comfortable spot as Sora spread out his arms. 

“And he just lifted it right out of the earth like it was nothing. Of course… we were probably not much older than you, so the tree was little more than a sapling. But it was amazing.”

“At least until the mayor found out I just uprooted one of the brand new coconut trees, and I got the punishment of a lifetime,” Riku grumbled. 

“I stayed with you though, so it wasn’t too bad.”

Riku grinned and shook his head, taking Sora’s hand again. “That’s true.” He nudged Sora with his shoulder. “Now who's diverging from the story?”

“Oh, yeah!” Sora held his hand up to his face again. “Where...was I?”

“You told the scary pirate lady about Riku!” One duck piped up.

“About how cool he is!”

“And pretty!”

Riku felt his face heat up again. More of the R.O.U.S. community was drawn to the story due to the ducks’ and Sora’s loud voices. 

“Oh yeah!” Sora held a finger up with his left hand. “Right. So I told her about the amazingness that is Riku and she seemed really intrigued by that. So she arranged with the captain of our ship to let him and the sailors go, though they would have to destroy their ship and take their stuff. I’ll… come back to that in a minute. But I was required to go to her ship to tell her more about Riku.”

“Why was she so interested in me?” Riku asked, forgetting his promise to hold the questions. 

“Because I love you,” Sora said easily. “And it was that love that intrigued her. She asked more about you and after I told her everything, she stood up and said. ‘Alright Sora, I’ll spare your life on the condition that you join my crew. Mess up and I’ll just kill you in the morning.’ For months she told me that. ‘Okay Sora, you’re doing alright so far. But mess up and I’ll just kill you in the morning.’

“She insisted that I train with my keyblade daily, and any keyblade wielders she found on the ships she captured were kept aboard to teach me new things. And well… I had a few adventures of my own. Captured a couple of ships, explored islands, learned how to wield two keyblades at once. Eventually, Sparrow and I became friends of sorts. I thought she wanted me to use the keyblade for something, but she just insisted that I train harder. She said ‘You might need those blades someday for something other than pirating, and you should be able to use them.’” 

“I’m grateful,” Riku whispered, squeezing Sora’s hand. “I— I became angry for a while… that I got to learn all these things while you would— I thought you would never—” Riku couldn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to. Sora squeezed his hand in understanding.

“I’m grateful too,” Sora murmured. “Those skills kept me alive. Being a pirate isn’t all fun and games. Especially when traveling with the Dread Pirate Sparrow.”

“Right,” Riku nodded. “And how—”

“I’m getting there,” Sora reassured him. “Anyway. Sparrow and I became friends. And one day she pulled me aside and let me in on the secret:

“‘I’m not the real Dread Pirate Sparrow,’ she said. ‘My name is Elizabeth Swann. I inherited the title just as you will inherit it from me. The Sparrow before me wasn’t the real Sparrow either. It was my husband.’” Sora laughed. “She said that the real Sparrow had probably wasted all his riches on rum but was probably still alive.” 

“But why not change the name?” another of the R.O.U.S. citizens asked. 

“Well, because the power is in the name.” Sora grinned sheepishly. “I mean, ‘Dread Pirate Sora’ doesn’t sound very threatening right? If I tried to go around pirating with that kind of name, no one would take me seriously and I would have to actually hurt people to make a living.”

“So you don’t?” Riku had wondered. He couldn’t picture his sweet Sora being as ruthless as the legendary Pirate Sparrow.

Sora shook his head. “Nah. Not even the real Sparrow hurt people. We usually just let the sailors go and tell them that we’re sparing them personally for one reason or another but that we totally destroyed other ships before them. They leave and spread the story wider. By the time I sail up to a ship they see the flag and surrender immediately, hoping that they’ll be spared as well. Usually, we only have to use our canons against other pirates who are meaner and just jealous.” 

Riku chuckled at Sora’s pout. Of course, he would call the vicious pirates the equivalent of a ‘meanie head’. “So you inherited the title of Sparrow. What will you do now?”

“Oh… well… I’m hoping to kidnap me a Prince to squander away with and then maybe pass on the title to someone else.” Sora shrugged. “I just want to get the ‘happily ever after’ I desired when we kissed each other under that tree so long ago.” 

Riku grinned, leaning in to kiss Sora’s cheek lightly, ignoring the coos of their audience. The gentle press of lips to warm skin lasted for a long moment before Riku pulled away to press his forehead against Soras, their breath mingling as he breathed out his next words. 

“I want that too.” 

Sora broke out into a grin wider than any Riku had seen so far, and he had to draw the smaller man into a hug, burying his face in spiky hair. They could do this. Riku could just disappear and— 

The alliance and the threat of war. 

Riku gulped around the sudden tightness in his chest. Maybe Vanitas would accept the alliance without a marriage. But Xehanort— 

Xehanort would never accept that. He was getting something out of this marriage that Riku didn’t quite understand yet. And he had a feeling that Xehanort was going to stop at nothing to make sure he got it. 

He squeezed Sora a little tighter. They would have to escape before Vanitas and the others caught up with them. Xehanort couldn’t force a marriage if Riku wasn’t there and, well, he felt bad for Ven, but he believed that Terra and Aqua could figure it out. Riku was tired. He finally had his love back in his arms and he never wanted to let him go again. 

They spent the night tangled up in each other’s embrace and when dawn broke, Mickey and the rest of the Rodents of Unusual Size waved them off. Sora seemed a little reluctant to leave them in the swamp, but Riku gently took his hand and reminded him of their urgency to reach the ship. 

Unfortunately, they ran right into Xehanort and Vanitas. 

Vanitas swung down from his Electricorn as soon as Riku and Sora entered the clearing on the outskirts of the Fire Swamp. Xehanort remained on his own mount, but smirked down at them, certain in his victory. 

“Surrender,” Vanitas stated, his keyblade already in hand and ready to fight. 

Beside him, Riku saw Sora grin and step forward. “You mean you wish to surrender to me? Well, that was easy. I accept.” 

“Sora…” Riku grumbled, quickly stepping in front of Sora. He leveled Vanitas with what he hoped was a firm look. “Please stand down. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

Vanitas stepped forward. “Then your kidnapping was an escape attempt?”

“The kidnapping was a kidnapping. Sora saved me and now he needs to get back to his ship.” Riku took a deep breath. “And I’m going with him.” 

“No,” Xehanort said, raising his hand. 

Riku barely called up a dark barrier in time as the arrow came from nowhere and crashed against it. Sora immediately called both of his keyblades to hand while Riku called on his own. They could fight their way out but— 

“You’ll never make it out of here alive, boy.” Xehanort’s voice was a low grumble. “I have reason to let you live if you give up this futile escape attempt.” 

Sora stepped between Riku and the old man. “You’ll have to catch us. We can head back into the Fire Swamp and live there comfortably.”

“You think a swamp can’t catch fire? Smoke you out? You think I don’t know exactly who you are and what ship in the harbor is yours? It wouldn’t take much to find you.” Xehanort sat back on his horse. 

He would. Riku realized. Xehanort and Vanitas would search the earth to find him. To make him fulfill his promise of an alliance. Riku wasn’t sure why they wanted him, but… if they spared Sora then— 

Then nothing. Sora’s survival was paramount. 

“If I stay. Will you let him go?” 

Riku’s voice was quiet and he lowered his weapons. 

“What? C’mon Riku, we’re stronger than them. We can—”

Riku shook his head. “He’s right Sora. We’d never make it out of the harbor before something happened. And I—” Riku clenched his fists. “I can’t lose you again. I won’t.”

“Riku—” 

“Of course!” Vanitas cut in loudly. “Come with us and we’ll make sure he gets to where he needs to be.” 

Riku turned his gaze onto Vanitas. “Swear it. Swear it on something that matters.”

“I sear it on…” Vanitas trailed off, sparing a glance over at Xehanort. “On… you know who.” 

Vanitas sounded genuine, as he always did when talking about the boy back home. The one who looked like Riku. 

Riku supposed it would have to do. 

Riku gritted his teeth, refusing to let the tears fall. He wouldn’t cry in front of Xehanort and Vanitas. Wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of that. Even as his heart broke at the decision. It wasn’t fair. If Aqua was here, or Terra and Ven, maybe they could hold Xehanort and Vanitas back long enough for Riku to get away. Or maybe— 

Riku shook his head, turning to take Sora into his arms. “I’m sorry. But I can’t lose you and I can’t watch you die and I— if you don’t leave now he’ll make me do exactly that. So please—”

“Riku, I—”

“May your heart be your guiding key right? Please let me do what mine says?”

Sora reached up to brush his hand through Riku’s hair. “You mean what it says it wants? Or what it fears?”

Riku pursed his lips, not sure what to say to that. He did fear Xehanort. But he feared losing Sora even more. He had to keep Sora safe. 

Sora leaned in to press a last kiss on Riku’s cheek before backing away. “Okay. Though I’ll never stop trying to squander you away.” 

The words were quiet enough that Xehanort shouldn’t have been able to hear them, but Riku didn’t trust the old goat not to have super hearing. “Please don’t. Just leave. Don’t look back.” 

He pulled away and followed when Vanitas reached out to grab him roughly by the arm, pushing up onto the nightmare Electricorn. 

He hugged the reins tightly, still fighting to not let his tears show. He was doing the right thing. Sora would be safer this way. He had to be. 

“We’ll make sure he gets to where he needs to be,” Xehanort repeated Vanitas’s oath, though Riku trusted that one a lot less. 

He felt Vanitas take the reins from him and lead the nightmare back into town, on their way back to the castle. 

Riku clenched his fists. He wouldn’t look back. He told Sora not to, and now he couldn’t as well. He had made his choice. 

Even when his heart felt like it was breaking for a second time. 


	9. Cracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sora is forced to endure a strenuous trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before we begin this chapter, I do want to warn for a bit of abuse and torture. It's nothing that would be completely outside of what is shown in Kingdom Hearts, especially in regards to what is hinted/known about Xehanort and his experiments. It's not too graphic, I think and is experienced mostly as glimpses into Sora's memories. Those who have read/seen Princess Bride know what's coming I think... 
> 
> But if you don't wish to read it, I'd recommend stopping at "Xehanort’s voice was the only warning Sora got before the machine turned on." You can return at "Slowly, the darkness faded from the machine, and Sora could breathe again."
> 
> I'll leave a summary in the end notes as to what happened.

_ “You use those blades well,” Captain Swann, no, Turner—Elizabeth Turner— said, offering him a smile. “I know I made the best choice passing the name on to you. Now go find your Prince.” _

_ He looked down at his second blade. The one that had appeared when… when—  _

_ When he realized that he had lost Riku forever.  _

_ “What if he doesn’t want me? He’s marrying an  _ actual _ Prince.” _

_ “You really gonna let a title stop you?” Elizabeth laughed. “You’re the Dread Pirate Sparrow now. The most fearsome pirate on the seas. You can strike fear into the heart of that Prince and take what you want.” _

_ “Yeah, but—” _

_ “It might not be all that it seems.” Elizabeth’s voice was soft, a tone Sora hadn’t gotten to hear until quite recently when she reunited with her husband. “But you’ll never know if you don’t ask him.” _

_ “Right.” _

The first sense Sora became aware of was smell. 

And how horrible it was. 

Like rotting seaweed and the sweat of the other men on the ship. He thought that when Swann made him captain, he wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore. That was the plan, right? Come out of the pirate war unscathed, become captain, sail back to Land of Departure and win back Riku’s heart from the Prince of the Badlands.

That was the plan. 

How far along in the plan was he?

When he had sailed back into port, intent on at least trying to talk to Riku, he found himself confused as several people scrambled to accommodate his every wish. While at first, he worried it was because they knew he was the Dread Pirate Sparrow, but then figured out it was because he resembled the Badlands Prince (Was that what made it so easy for Riku to find love again?). 

Then he found out that Riku had been kidnapped, and of course Sora had to save him. But he had to travel incognito… 

Sora groaned. Right… Riku had been kidnapped. Riku. 

_ Riku! _

Sora gasped and woke up fully. He tried to move his arms, but they wouldn’t budge. Fighting down the urge to panic, Sora took a deep breath. No use in panicking. Better to try and get his bearings instead. Answer some mental questions. 

_ Where’s Riku? _

The answer to that came with a pang in his heart. Right. He found Riku. Found him and lost him all over again. It was clear that Riku wasn’t marrying for love as he had feared, but instead out of fear for the— 

Right. Answer to question number two: Who tied him up?

_ “We’ll make sure he gets to where he needs to be.”  _

_ That’s what the creepy old man said, his tone genuine enough but there was something in his smile that put Sora on edge. But his focus was on Riku’s retreating figure. He hoped Riku would turn back. Just one last time.  _

_ Sora thought he saw broad shoulders tense, and maybe the twitch of silver hair. But then the Electricorn rode out of sight.  _

_ “Well, I suppose we should get you back to your ship.” _

_ Sora turned his attention to the old man, offering a wry smile of his own. “You don’t lie very well.” He knew he wasn’t going to be getting back to his ship anytime soon. As he looked closer at the man, he noticed something distinct.  _

_ “Gold eyes? Bald head? You know there’s someone looking for you—”  _

Sora shook his head. The memory blacked out before he had finished his sentence. But he was fairly certain the King of the Badlands was exactly who the swordswoman, Kairi, was looking for. 

Why would a King want to start a coup against the royal family of another Kingdom? What was the point? 

“Are— Are you awake?” 

Sora jerked his head around, locating the source of the timid voice. 

There was a girl there, short and blonde, clad in a pure white dress that was out of place in the dungeon-like setting that surrounded them. She held her hands close to her chest, looking as if she wished to disappear altogether. 

“Can— Will you let me go?” Sora shook his bound arms as best he could. Now that he had stopped panicking, he realized he was strapped to some sort of table. His legs were tied just as tight as his arms and shoulders. He couldn't even summon his keyblade. Figures this guy would have the same bindings that had prevented Riku from summoning his keyblade. 

Actually, that was… more than a little suspicious. 

The girl stepped closer to him, shaking her head sadly. “I’m sorry. But I— I can’t—” Her fingers twitched around her wrist, pulling at something. 

The motion made something click in Sora’s head. A legend about how some pirate kings kept their crews in line. “You’re bound to him, right? You can’t leave… or do anything against him.” 

“I—” The girl struggled with her words before letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry.” 

Sora tilted his head. “Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault that I’m… well… tied up.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you. I’m sorry… this is my— I—” She struggled with her words again before letting out a little huff of frustration, tears pooling in her eyes. “I—”

“Woah, don’t cry!” Sora wanted to reach out and pat the girl on the shoulder. But with his hands bound he couldn’t do much, so he settled for offering her a grin. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault that a crazy bald guy has an evident grudge against me. I can take whatever he’s gonna do to me.” 

The girl didn’t return the look. “You don’t understand. He’s gonna— No one has ever survived the machine.” 

“The mach—”

“Naminé!” 

They both flinched and looked up at the doorway to the dungeon, where the old bald man stood, hunched over with hands clasped behind his back. Sora thought he could see green leaves and blue sky behind the old man, but the doorway swung shut before he could really make out anything distinct. 

“I thought I told you to inform me when our guest woke up.”

“He just—” Naminé cut herself off when the man glared at her and looked away. 

Sora glared at the man. “So… you’re Xehanort. The King of the Badlands.” 

“Well, it appears that even notorious pirates are educated on their betters.” The old man waved a hand in the air. “And you are the Dread Pirate Sparrow. I thought you would be older.” 

Sora shrugged as best he could. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. What don’t you untie me and we can find out?”

The old man smirked at him. “Why would I do that when I have you right where I want you. Which is out of the way.” 

Sora clenched his fist. “Riku already told me to go away. I got the message. I’ll leave him be.” 

Xehanort scoffed. “Please, like that little charade fooled anyone. I need you out of the way on a more permanent basis.” His eyes flicked over to Naminé. “I could just have Naminé take away all your memories of him, you know. She’s already demonstrated that power on another.” 

Naminé let out a little distressed sound at the idea but quieted when Xehanort shot her another glare. 

“But I now see that I have the perfect subject for another experiment on my machine. It has proven to help me study the workings of an average heart. But I do wonder what it would do to a heart filled with true love?” Xehanort stepped somewhere behind Sora. 

Sora tried to turn around, but the bindings were tight, and he could barely move his head. With what limited movement he did have, he tried to take in his surroundings. The machine Naminé had mentioned earlier was to his left, some kind of twisted metal thing, filled with gears and wires. An arm of the machine shifted until it protruded right over Sora’s chest.

“This machine measures hurt in the heart. How much hurt can your heart stand before it shatters?” 

Xehanort’s voice was the only warning Sora got before the machine turned on. 

Images immediately began to assault Sora’s head, memories that were somehow amplified. 

_ Sora eagerly stepped off the ship and into his hometown, ready to find Riku again. He had to apologize for not writing, but there was very little paper at sea and no postage. It had been a few years, but hopefully, Riku would forgive him.  _

_ He spotted a newspaper with Riku’s image and felt a moment of glee. What amazing thing did Riku do to end up in the paper? _

_ As he got closer he was able to read the headline.  _

_ “Local boy to marry Prince of the Badlands.” _

Marry _ .  _

_ The word didn’t make sense to Sora. Riku… Riku was getting married?  _

_ To a Prince? _

_ Sora clenched his fist. No. No, it wasn’t true. Riku loved him. He promised. He would have waited.  _

_ He would— would—  _

Riku! 

_ “Did you hear about Riku? A Prince! How lucky!” _

_ “Good on him!”  _

_ “So amazing! He’ll be set for life!”  _

_ “To think he was just here a few years ago. Running around with that other boy— what was his name?” _

_ “I don’t remember. But Riku has really moved up— ” _

_ Sora blocked out the villagers. It wasn’t true. Riku—  _

_ Sora numbly crumpled up the paper in his hand. His feet led him back to the ship before he really knew where he was going.  _

_ Sparrow had looked at him in curiosity, then pity as he shuffled back onto the ship and curled up in the bunk he had claimed as his.  _

_ It wasn’t true. It wasn’t—  _

_ He was too late.  _

_ Riku was gone forever. Off to marry some Prince in a distant land.  _

_ Probably forgot all about the silly boy who just wanted an adventure with his best friend, his true love.  _

_ Riku…  _

_ He curled up tight around the paper with Riku’s image on it. He stayed there until the crew finished packing up supplies and pulled away from the port.  _

Sora struggled, but the scream of pain and anger and heartbreak tore from his throat. 

Riku would always do this. Just walk away from him. Off to better things. Off to training, off to marry some other Prince. 

His heart ached. Riku would always walk away. 

_ “I’m not letting you go in case something else tries to separate us.”  _

Sora gritted his teeth. 

Riku— Riku said that. He didn’t want to let go. 

Sora clenched his fist and bit back another scream of heartache. Blinking his eyes open, he saw a bright light clashing with something dark coming from the machine. Whatever that darkness was… it was amplifying every negative emotion Sora felt. But— 

He closed his eyes, focusing on that one image of Riku grabbing his hand and refusing to let go. The warmth of his hand encompassing Sora’s own. The small, shy smile on his face. The way his hair fell into his eyes when he looked at Sora. Teal eyes that crinkled, and Sora felt his heart ache for a completely different reason. It filled with love to the point of nearly bursting. 

Slowly, the darkness faded from the machine, and Sora could breathe again.

He collapsed onto the table he was strapped to. His heart  _ hurt _ , the pain nearly physical. Every muscle in his body was weak with exhaustion. It felt like he had just run several miles with a knife in his chest. His throat ached. Had he been screaming aloud?

“Interesting.” 

Sora flinched. He had nearly forgotten that Xehanort was there. Tilting his head, Sora caught Naminé’s expression. Her eyes were wide in horror, her hands in front of her mouth. 

“There are cracks in your heart.” 

Sora felt Xehanort’s gaze on him. 

“Tell me, boy. How do you feel?”

Without meaning to, a sob escaped Sora’s throat and tears ran from his eyes to puddle onto the table below him. 

_ Riku… I need you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Sora is forced to experience pain through negative emotions that are amplified through Xehanort's machine. He relives a memory of his first return to his home to find that Riku has seemingly abandoned him and gone off to marry a prince. Heartbroken Sora returned to the pirate ship. In the present, Sora is angry and hurt until he remembers Riku's desperation to save him and never leave him. That true love manages to break the machine's hold over Sora. 
> 
> Next Chapter will be posted on Saturday!


	10. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a secret is revealed and Kairi is suddenly faced with her life long goal, but can she go through with it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to get out a quick Saturday update before I finish getting ready to drive to the airport and fly home. I hope everyone has a happy and safe pre-holiday weekend!

“What were we thinking?” Lea grumbled, snapping his fingers. The logs he and Kairi had gathered caught fire in an instant. “Kidnapping a Prince?” 

“We were paid rather handsomely. And the plan was well thought out,” Ienzo mumbled, still tenderly touching the lump on his head from where the masked man had knocked him out. “The interloper was an unexpected trip up.”

“You don’t think he was some kind of elite one-man rescue squad from the castle?” Kairi questioned, quickly renewing the Blizzard spell she had cast hours ago into an empty pouch. The combination of fabric and magic created a fairly effective ice pack. She passed it over to Ienzo who placed it against his skull again. 

Ienzo let out a sigh. “The Prince seemed rather confused by the masked man’s presence as well.” 

Kairi frowned in concern. The three of them had resolved to return to Radiant Garden, but quickly realized the problem of not having enough money to pay for the return trip. So instead, they were camping in an area of the forest that was known for harboring thieves and other shady figures. Both men had gone back to using their real names instead of the code names they had insisted upon during the mission. Kairi rather felt that the masked man had beat some well-deserved humility into all of them. 

“So the mysterious man just wanted a Prince of his own. Fair enough,” Lea chuckled, “I suppose he was pretty, eh, Kai?”

Hmm. well, maybe not _all _of them. Kairi still had not told the others her real hame. For good reason. 

“Oh, I don’t know. Not really my type.” She shrugged half-heartedly. She hadn’t ever really thought of a type. Her thoughts for the past 10 years had been occupied by getting stronger. Finding the golden-eyed man. 

_ “And what will you do after you defeat him?” _

Kairi frowned, only half-listening to Lea and Ienzo discuss their options to get home. 

What _was _she going to do? 

The question came with a big fat empty space where a plan should be. It felt awkward to try and return to the throne. It didn’t feel like it was really hers anymore. Sometimes, the life she had lived with her grandmother felt like someone else’s. 

“So, you’re telling me that after that whole grand plan, there was never anything in there about how to get back to Radiant Garden?” Lea’s voice was raised in exasperation. 

“I admit, I hoped that there would be further instructions if we had succeeded,” Ienzo admitted. “However—” 

“The whole kidnapping plot seems rather convoluted,” Kairi interrupted. It was certainly easier to think about how crazy this plot had been than it was to ponder about her own future. “What was the point again? How would killing the Prince prevent a war? Wouldn’t that start one?” 

During the long walk from the grassy fields in which they’d found the unconscious Ienzo, an inkling of worry started to bother her. By the time they made it to their new campsite, the inkling had grown into full-on concern and she was able to think more clearly. The plan didn’t make sense. How would killing a Prince save their Kingdom? If they had been caught or even suspected, it was more likely that Radiant Garden would have been put in more danger. 

“The idea was to prevent an alliance between the two Kingdoms,” Ienzo reminded her. 

“But… if we had been caught…” Kairi trailed off with a shrug. Perhaps it was for the best that the masked man had stolen their kidnapped victim. If he was caught with the Prince, it was less likely that Radiant Garden would be blamed. 

How could she have been so stupid to put her Kingdom in danger like that?

“Hmmm.” Ienzo shifted his ice pack off his head. “Even said that our benefactor was a man who had a great vision for Radiant Garden… but…” He let out a deep sigh. 

“Some vision,” Kairi grumbled, her stomach twisting in knots. “A future war we couldn’t win, a Parliament that won’t step up and change things. A leader who can’t—” 

“A Princess who is still missing,” Lea interrupted, “Without whom, Parliament _won’t _do anything. 

“I’m wondering if Even is trying to make it up to Master Ansem about the coup,” Ienzo’s voice was quiet. 

Kairi’s fist clenched, as it did whenever the coup was brought up. “Even? That’s the guy who we replaced right? After he and his team got the flu.” 

“Yes,” Ienzo nodded.

“What does he have to do with the coup?”

Kairi hadn’t noticed how cold her voice had gotten until she caught Lea’s concerned gaze. She quickly looked away. 

Of course, there would have been others who participated in the coup. Not just the golden-eyed man. Others who would need to be brought to justice eventually. 

“Even was one of the scientists to lead the coup against Ansem and the royal family,” Ienzo said. “He and two of the guards in the castle raised me. I was young. I didn’t understand. They said that Ansem and the Queen Regent would lead the country to ruin.” 

“Well, they did a fantastic job of hastening that prospect,” Lea muttered. “Now we have no Queen, no Princess, and no functioning government. The only reason things haven’t fallen into _complete _chaos is that Ansem is holding on as best as he can. But it won’t work forever.” 

“Even didn’t know that the plot included murdering the old Queen. That was… unexpected and unfortunate. The plan was just to change things. Create something different.” 

Kairi clenched her fist and looked down. She had heard all this before. About how her parents’ unexpected death had sparked something dark in the Kingdom of Light. About how the Kingdom lingered on the brink of a civil war. 

But she couldn’t go back. How could she face her grandmother’s grave knowing she failed to bring the man who killed her to justice?

Lea let out a sound. “If the Princess was found, maybe Ansem could win over the governing body. At least the ones who are hesitant to do anything without her.”

“We’d just be in the same spot we were in before,” Ienzo argued. “But… even I have to admit that where we were before was miles better than where we are now.” 

“Right?” Lea let out a long breath of air. 

Kairi clenched her fist, feeling her heart tear in two and her stomach clench more in indecision. She should go back and help her Kingdom. It’s definitely what her parents would have wanted, what her grandmother would have wanted. 

But knowing that the golden-eyed man was out there, then— 

“My payment,” Kairi suddenly remembered. “You promised me information if—” 

“If we finished our mission,” Ienzo pointed out. He kept her gaze for a moment longer, before a sigh escaped his lips. “I suppose it’s not worth squabbling over. I’m not sure what you can do with this information anyway.” 

Kairi tilted her head. Any information would be useful. “What do you mean?” 

“I’ve come across in my research that golden eyes are generally most common among the denizens of the Kingdom of Darkness. However, you said that the man you are searching for is a keyblade wielder, correct?” Ienzo looked over at her. 

Kairi nodded. “Yes, and much older… and bald.” 

“Well, in that case, I’m afraid that your search has truly narrowed down to just one person that I have heard of as being both a citizen of the Badlands as well as a keyblade wielder. The King of Darkness himself: Xehanort.”

Kairi blinked in confusion. “What? But… Why— Why would the King of the Badlands want to kill my grandmother? How would striking down the Queen Regent— It doesn’t make sense.” 

Lea let out a gasp, while Ienzo’s eyes narrowed at her. She repeated her words to herself, feeling her face heat up with shame and her heart stop in panic. They couldn’t have caught it. She could have meant any— 

“Kai… do you mean to say that your grandmother was the Queen Regent?” 

“No!” Kairi shouted before covering her mouth with her hands, taking a step back. Too fast. She said that much too fast. But the news had shocked her. 

A King had killed her grandmother. She would have to take her revenge against a _King_. 

The very King she had already tried to undermine by taking part in a plot to kidnap his future son in law. 

“Kai… short for Kairi?” 

“Kair… Princess Kairi?!” Lea shouted shocked. 

Kairi took another step back. “No! No! That— that’s not what I meant at all, I just—” 

“The age would be correct.” Ienzo crossed his arms in thought. “I thought your blade was familiar. I remember passing by paintings of our Queen Regent wielding it. But I was blind to the significance. But of course, your grandmother holds the same blade in her formal portrait. She’s in all the history books. I’m guessing it must have been passed down.”

“No she’s— I mean, it's not the same, it’s—” 

“Why are you running?” Lea turned on her, staring her down in a way that had her summoning Destiny’s Embrace without thinking about it. “Kai— Kairi, the throne—”

“Ansem’s doing a better job than I ever could!” Kairi cried out. “I can’t go back! I— I've still got a job to do!”

Lea crossed his arms. “What kind of job do you have that’s more important than your country? Isn't that why we did this? To protect our friends and family? That was the point. If you had just been on the throne then maybe none of this would have happened!” 

“You don’t know that!” Kairi shouted back. “I didn’t understand about the coup. I just knew that someone killed my grandmother. Someone wanted to kill me. What would you have done?”

“It’s been more than ten years!” 

Kairi shook her head at Lea’s words. They didn’t understand. How could they? “I’m sorry, I have to do this. I can’t go back. I can’t face everyone knowing he’s still out there.” 

Now she knew a name. 

And a rank. 

“King Xehanort killed my grandmother! He stole my best friend and I just stood there! I need to—”

“You need to go home!” Lea shouted. “He’s a _ King_, Kai! If you try to defeat him, try to kill him, you’ll just escalate the war we were trying to avoid.” 

He advanced on her. To grab her or try to reason with her, Kairi didn’t know. She didn’t want to find out. 

She knew where to find him now. The golden-eyed man. Xehanort. She was so close. 

She held up her blade, and Lea stopped in his tracks. 

“I’m sorry, Lea. But I can’t go back. Not yet. Not ever, maybe. I have to do this.”

She turned and ran, never stopping to look back. 

They wouldn’t understand. How could they? They didn’t know the anger in her heart, the frustration that this was all her fault. All of it. If she could just fix this one thing. Avenge her grandmother. She would figure out what to do after that. But she was so close to her goal now. 

She couldn't give up this close to the finish line. She couldn’t— She—

She didn’t know how far she ran, nor exactly where she was going. Back in the general direction of the Kingdom of Heart’s Castle. It was common knowledge that King Xehanort was staying there until the wedding. She could wait for her chance. 

_ “Golden eyes? Bald head? You know someone’s looking for—” _

Kairi blinked. That had been the masked man’s voice. And he said—

“Take him to the laboratory.” 

The voice was deep and gravelly, a tone that was both benign and duplicitous. 

She hadn’t heard that voice since her childhood when it had demanded Kairi’s location from her grandmother.

Barely breathing, Kairi stepped forward, careful not to reveal her presence to the clearing below. 

There was a pair of hooded figures carrying a third unconscious man between them. Though the mask had been removed, Kairi recognized the clothing.

The masked man. 

Then… that meant… 

“Get the girl to ready him for the machine. I will deal with him later.” 

Kairi shifted her attention away from the unconscious no-longer-masked man to the only other figure in the clearing. 

He seemed… somehow bigger than she remembered. More imposing than even what her childhood self could recall. 

But— He was old. And stooped. Kairi could take him. 

She summoned Destiny’s Embrace. She could do this. 

_ Hello, my name is Kairi, you killed my grandmother. Prepare to die. _

She would do this.

And yet—

Her feet did not move. 

She tightened her grip on her blade. 

Why did she hesitate?

\---

_ Well, dear reader, you may be asking the same: “Why did she hesitate?” _

_ Well, the text does go into that, but it’s a 10-page monologue about Kairi’s whole childhood and the exact royal duties she would have to take up upon her return to her Kingdom. She has one of those “flashes of her entire life before her eyes” thing. And it goes on. _

_ So I will just say the same thing Mom said: _

_ She got cold feet. _

\---

Xehanort had defeated the masked man somehow. The same man who had defeated her less than a day ago. 

What chance did she have? 

She— She could do this. But not now. She needed to train; she needed—

She ran.

Her heart was torn in so many directions. Where once she knew her path, now it faded. 

She had the golden-eyed man in sight. And she—

She floundered. 

If she defeated the golden-eyed man, what then? 

What came next? 

She stopped running, her legs turning to jelly, and she sat at the base of a tree to catch her breath.

“Why is it I’m always left running after you Keyblade wielders? Huh, spitfire?” 

Kairi gasped and looked up, finding Lea walking down the pathway, stopping to lean against the tree across from where she sat. 

“Well, did you catch up with the golden-eyed man?” 

Kairi sighed and raised her hand, rubbing it under her eyes. She was unsurprised to find the tears there, but thankfully Lea seemed willing to ignore them. “Yeah.”

“Defeat him?” 

Kairi let out another gust of air that could have been a laugh if she hadn’t been so confused. “I didn’t… I couldn’t do it, Lea. He was right there and I—” 

She felt her throat close over, but she refused to let the sob come out. She had been there. Why had she hesitated?

“Hey… it’s okay, Kai, er, Kairi.” 

Kairi felt Lea’s warm hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and shifted out of the comforting gesture. “It’s not. This is all my fault. You’re right. If I hadn’t left… maybe we wouldn’t have gotten to this position. A place where Kings can plot to take over our Kingdom because we’re in a power vacuum. I didn’t mean—”

“Look, it’s not entirely your fault. It’s a lot of people’s fault. It’s Even’s for being part of the coup, it’s Ansem’s for not taking more control. It could even be mine for taking jobs as a fire mage mercenary instead of doing something legal to help Roxas and Xion. If a civil war does come, I need to take them out of the country. We don’t have many options, especially since Xion was banned from her own Keyblade training and hasn’t heard from her master or her friend she had been training with.” 

Lea sat down next to her. “We all do things that might be morally questionable for the people we love.” Lea took a deep breath. “But we can also do the right thing. Starting today. Or after you finish your personal mission.” 

Kairi took a deep breath, letting Lea’s words sink in.

Do the right thing. Starting today. 

Starting right now. 

Or maybe starting after she defeated the golden-eyed man. 

Kairi nodded. “Yeah. you’re right. We can—”

“Oh good, you two didn’t get far.” 

Lea and Kairi both turned to find Ienzo walked up the path as well, a letter in his hand. 

“Even gave me this to open after we finished the mission,” Ienzo said, “I know we didn’t finish, but…” He trailed off, passing over the letter. 

The wax seal had already been broken, and Kairi grabbed it, holding the letter out so Lea could read as well. 

The words filled her heart with dread. 

It was a warning. Apparently, unknowing what the endgame motivations were, Even, the original mastermind behind the kidnapping plot, had kept the identity of their financier a secret.

But given his description of golden eyes and a stooped back, it was obvious to Kairi who it had been. 

“Xehanort,” Kairi whispered. “_Xehanort _hired us to kill his future son in law. But— But why?! The alliance—”

“Perhaps that is why the plan seems dodgy in hindsight,” Ienzo said. “It was never a plot to blame the other Kingdom for the death, but perhaps the plan was to blame us the whole time.” 

“To further sow distrust among the Kingdoms,” Kairi agreed. She remembered Riku’s quiet laugh and the masked man’s desperation to save him. 

They didn’t deserve to be tangled up in all of this. 

Do the right thing. Starting today. 

“We have to save them. Riku and that masked guy!” 

Both of them looked at her in confusion. 

“Look. Whatever Xehanort’s planning, he was gonna do something to Riku right? Well, we just gotta kidnap him again. This time just squirrel him away somewhere out of the castle. And that masked guy was rather keen to save Riku anyway—”

“Wait, you mean Riku has returned to the castle?” Ienzo frowned. “But if Xehanort was planning on having him killed anyway—”

“Is this really our battle to pick?” Lea questioned before Ienzo could finish that thought. “We could just go home. Go back to the problems in our own Kingdom.” 

“The problems here could be our problems soon enough if Xehanort succeeds in whatever he’s planning,” Kairi argued. “Look. We have an opportunity here. Undermine Xehanort’s plan. Maybe even defeat him entirely.” 

She bit her lip in thought. She was asking a lot from them. She knew that. This really wasn’t their battle to fight. And yet, she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do. “I know, it seems strange. To help out a country that is supposedly going to start a war against ours. But Xehanort is the man who killed my grandmother. He came in with the other people during the coup. I don’t know what that means exactly, but to me, it seems that Xehanort is our common enemy. Maybe he manipulated the scientists.” 

She looked at Ienzo who appeared to be deep in thought. Or maybe a memory. Then she turned her attention to Lea. 

“And maybe he’s manipulating the royal family here as well. But I think he’s the one we’re all after, and if so, we need to rescue the people we hurt from him. Riku and the mysterious masked man. I know in my heart that, no matter what’s going on between the Kingdoms, they just want to be together. I think we can achieve that.” 

She looked down, her nails biting into her fist as she clenched her hand. “I know… I know I’m not the Queen I should be. I’m really not a Queen at all. I’m not even a good leader. Just a decent swordswoman who spent more than half her life set on revenge. I have no idea how to plan anything. I’ll do it on my own if I have to. But I know that if we do it together, we’ll win.”

Her face felt hot, her skin clammy and her heart was going to beat right out of her chest any moment. What right did she have to ask these men to help her? They had no obligations to her. And they knew her secret. Why would they follow a Princess who abandoned her throne?

A hand on her shoulder broke her out of her worries, and she glanced up at Lea’s smirk. 

“I’m in,” Lea said, squeezing her shoulder before pulling away. “I suppose you’re right. If Xehanort is the cause of everything, he needs to be taken out.”

“I, too, believe that you are right. However, if we plan to succeed, I think we’ll need to rescue the masked man first,” Ienzo said, putting his hand to his face in thought. “I suppose saving the Prince from his murderous future father-in-law would be a good apology for kidnapping him and all. We’re gonna need a quick getaway though. That may take a while. I can try to run back to the port town to look for our escape while you two find the masked man.” 

Kairi grinned. “That sounds like a plan. Maybe, if… if the people do want me on the throne, I could use people like you to advise me. Because everyone knows that I’m gonna have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Asking others for advice is a good way to start.” Ienzo offered a small grin back, and Kairi thought it was a much nicer expression on him than the grim and glowering one. 

“This whole thing sounds nuts. But—” Lea let out a sigh. “Look, I was never on board with killing the Prince anyway. Once he summoned that damned keyblade I knew he had to have been the guy Xion trained with for the past few years that she wrote about in her letters. She would have killed me if I had killed him.” 

He looked at both of them. “So I guess we’re gonna rescue him instead?”

Kairi grinned and held her hand out. “Together.”

The others hesitated but eventually put their hands on top of hers. 

“Together,” Lea said, while Ienzo nodded. 

After that, Ienzo ran off to return to the port they had arrived in. Lea and Kairi turned back to where Kairi had last seen the masked man. 

“Well… any idea where Xehanort may have taken him?”

Kairi felt her grin fall off her face, and her heart dropped. 

“Nope. No idea.”

This search might take longer than expected. 


	11. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Riku discovers the strength in his love and his heart, but will he be able to break the chains that bind him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brief holiday hiatus! but now we're back to an update every Saturday with an occasional Wednesday update!

“Please welcome your new Prince. Prince Riku of the badlands.” Vanitas’s voice rang clear, even behind that stupid helmet he insisted on wearing in public. “My husband.” 

A cheer rang out among the faceless crowd. Faceless because Riku refused to look at them, his hands tightening around the reins of his electricorn. 

He had done it. The alliance was settled. 

He was married. 

—————

  
  


_ Wow, what a plot twist, eh? Now, reader, I know what you’re thinking. _

_ No! No way did Riku marry Vanitas, right? I mean, it doesn’t make sense, he marries Sora and they go off into the sunset to adopt all the kids they can, right? I mean, what’s the point of giving us this grand love story if you’re not gonna put the two main characters together? _

_ Well, let me tell you the same thing my Master told me and my five foster siblings when we made the same arguments: _

_ Life isn’t fair. _

  
  


———-

Riku pulled at his wedding attire. Why Vanitas had insisted on wearing it when riding through the capital town of the Badlands, Riku couldn’t say, but it itched, and he was hot. A change of clothes was in order before anything else tonight. Riku couldn’t stand to be in this outfit for one more moment. 

Finally, the cheering stopped, and Riku was ushered inside by Vanitas’s cold hand on his elbow. He was led down too many darkened corridors to count, too many stairs and past too many doors. Then they stopped at a room that was cold and damp. 

“These will be your private quarters,” Vanitas said, face still hidden by his mask. “Not that you’ll be spending much time in them.” 

With that Vanitas was gone, though Riku couldn’t say he remembered him leaving. Stepping into the musty room, Riku let out a sigh and started to unpack his bag with the few meager belongings Xehanort allowed him to bring. 

He remembered another night of unpacking, so long ago now. A night filled with laughter and so much sadness as he and Sora had made the most of what time they had left. 

_ Sora…_

Riku swallowed against the tightness in his throat. Stubbornly refused to even think about the fact that it should have been Sora who shared his bed, not some glowering look-a-like. 

“It should have been Sora.”

Riku jerked up at the voice turning around. “What? Who’s there.”

“You had him in your arms.” 

Riku couldn’t find the source of the voice. There was no one in the room, nor in the hallway right outside the door. 

Where—?

And why did the voice sound like Riku's own? 

“You had him right there and you let him go. You don’t even deserve him if that’s how you treat true love. Throwing it away like garbage.”

“Who are you?!” Riku summoned his blade. He wouldn’t let someone invisible person talk to him like that. “I didn’t have a choice. Xehanort was going to—”

“True love!” The voice interrupted. “You had true love and you tossed it aside!”

Finally, Riku saw where the voice was coming from. In a corner was a tall, narrow mirror. 

And the voice came from his own reflection.

_ What kind of magic was this? _

Riku glared at his own face. “Shut up. It killed me to leave him again!”

“And yet you still breathe.” His reflection didn’t look impressed. 

“I had too! If I didn’t, Sora would have— Sora—”

“True love. He was probably relieved to see your true colors after that display. You’re not worthy of true love if that’s how you treat it. So that’s what you are, just as dark and twisted as the family you married into. A demon—”

“No!” Riku shouted, raising his blade and smashing the mirror. 

But still, the voice echoed in his head, his reflection shattered and somehow his voice multiplied tenfold. 

“Demon! Unworthy! Traitor!”

“No!” Riku shouted back.

Even though the mirror was shattered, Riku still saw his own face all around him. All eyes were on him, red and intense. 

The same red eyes as the monsters that had stalked him in the sea of nightmares. 

“Unworthy!”

Riku jerked awake with a gasp, sitting up, letting the blankets of his bed — his nice warm bed at the castle in the Kingdom of Heart— slide off his sleep-heated form, now drenched in sweat. 

A dream. It was just a dream. 

There were still a few days until the wedding. 

——

  
  


_ Hey, I said life wasn’t fair, not that you weren’t right. _

  
  


——-

Riku let out a groan and laid back against the pillows. Daylight just started to peek through his open window. 

A good a time as any to wake up, he supposed. 

With a yawn, Riku rolled out of bed. Maybe it would be a clear day and Riku would be able to see the sea from the highest point on the castle walls. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he saw Sora’s ship, imagine him happy and fierce and alive. 

Riku's fingers curled into a fist. 

The more days that passed since the day in the outskirts of the fire swamp, the more he doubted his decision to leave. Maybe he had been afraid. He lost Sora once, he couldn’t do it again. 

But by not trying at all, had he lost Sora forever? 

With a stubborn shake of his head, Riku banished those thoughts. He would feel better after a walk along the castle wall. 

The cool brisk air ruffled his hair and clothing as he climbed the steps. Nodding to several of the guards posted, Riku walked aimlessly, the dream still fogging up his head. 

It had seemed so real. 

He wondered if Xehanort’s castle really did have cold damp rooms and darkened corridors. Was there a castle wall he could walk on in the mornings? What would he even do? 

He realized that with all this talk of the wedding and the alliance, he had thought very little about what his life would be like beyond that. He already felt like his life had ended. He supposed it didn’t matter now. 

Letting out a groan through gritted teeth, Riku leaned against the wall and stared out. The ocean was so far away. 

Was Sora out there somewhere? On the deck of his ship? Off to explore new worlds? Happy and fierce and stubborn. 

And alive. 

Against his better judgment, Riku closed his eyes. He allowed himself to dream. 

What if they had gotten away from Xehanort and Vanitas? 

What if Sora had grabbed his hand and they ran?

What if there was no need for an alliance? No impending war? No reason for this farce? 

If he had allowed himself to just— 

He imagined Sora, warm and alive in his arms, leaning up to kiss Riku’s lips. Sora's spiky hair tickling under Riku’s chin when he laid his head on top of Sora’s own. Sora had grown taller, but so had Riku. They still fit together, like two pieces of a whole. Their hearts beating in tune with each other. 

He had felt so at home in Sora’s embrace. 

What if they had gotten away? 

Ran to Sora’s ship? 

Would Riku be with him now? Sailing the oceans? Finding new lands to explore? 

Would Sora have passed on his title as the Dread Pirate Sparrow? Would they settle on some distant land? Someplace where they could just be together? 

Something warm and wet landed on his hand. Riku glanced down, finding a water droplet on the back of his hand. Frowning, Riku looked up at the sky, but it was a clear day. 

Then—

His hand shook when he raised it to his own eye, finding it wet. 

Oh… it was a tear. 

Another quickly followed, streaming down his face in a cascade of salty water. 

The dam broke. 

Once he let himself cry, Riku found that he couldn’t stop. He wanted _ Sora. _ He wanted that goofy grin aimed at him, wanted calloused warm fingers to wipe away his tears, wanted a gentle voice to ask him why he was upset. 

He wanted to go back in time. Stand by Sora’s side as they fought off Xehanort and anyone who stood in their way. He wanted to run away together. 

His heart ached and another sob broke forth. 

He wiped under his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He hadn’t cried this hard since he was eight, and Sora had told him that he never wanted to see Riku again after some silly fight. 

Not even when he had heard Sora had died, and Riku had hardened his heart.

Now he probably never would see Sora again. 

Riku shook his head, swallowing around another sob, his throat tight and his eyes burning. 

“What’s your problem?”

Riku gasped at the voice, even as it caused another stab of pain in his heart. So damn similar to Sora’s. 

And so _painfully _different. 

“Shut up.” 

The words came out harsher than Riku really intended, but they came from the heart. It was too painful to hear Vanitas right now. 

Vanitas scoffed, ignoring him. “Tears are a sign of weakness. They’ll eat you alive back home.”

Riku gritted his teeth. “Who cares what some idiots in the Kingdom of Darkness think?”

“Well, we’re getting married. Or did you forget already?” Vanitas looked like he was clenching his own teeth. “When you’re _ my _ husband—”

“It’s a political alliance,” Riku muttered, looking away. “What I do has no bearing on you.” 

He glanced back at Vanitas out of the corner of his eye. The mask was gone, as it had been for a while now, Vanitas leaving it off for longer and longer stretches of time. Riku wondered if that was because Vanitas was away from the cold land that valued hiding one’s emotions, sometimes literally. 

“Why are we doing this, Vanitas?” Riku asked. “Why this stupid alliance?” 

Why couldn’t their countries just form an alliance without a marriage? Why an _alliance _at all? It had been a year, and Radiant Garden hadn’t made a move of any kind. The trio that had kidnapped him had been independent contractors for someone, not soldiers from a Kingdom supposedly on the brink of a civil war. A war with another Kingdom would bring Radiant Garden and the rest of the Kingdom of Light to ruin. 

The whole idea of this was _stupid. _

Riku crossed his arms. “We both have the chance to be happy. Why are we giving up our love for some silly political alliance—” 

Suddenly, he had to duck as a dark keyblade came whirling towards him. Riku instinctively summoned his own blade and guarded the next blow. 

_ Thump! _

Riku blinked in surprise. That wasn’t the sound clashing keyblades usually made. It was much too deep in tone. And the keyblade in his hand felt too heavy. 

The light from where he had summoned his keyblade cleared, and Riku was shocked to find a totally different keyblade in his hand. Unlike the Way to the Dawn that he had used his whole time training, this keyblade was sleeker, colored silver and black. And much, much stronger. 

He had read that keyblades came from the heart. So then… what did a change in the form of a keyblade mean? 

Vanitas looked just as shock as he did at the sudden keyblade change, but recovered quickly, pulling back to strike again. Riku responded with one of his own, finding this new blade just as responsive as his last. Despite its size, it felt light in his hand, easily responding to his moves. He swung at Vanitas who rolled under the blade and struck again. Riku blocked it at the last second. 

“_ Please. _True love is the silly thing,” Vanitas spat out, locking blades with Riku. “Putting your entire heart into something as weak as that is stupid.” 

Riku growled and pushed Vanitas away, standing ready for another blow, both physically and emotionally. But true love wasn’t weak. If anything, knowing that Sora was alive, that he still loved Riku? 

Riku felt stronger than ever. 

A bright light emanated from his new blade, responding to his strength. 

Vanitas hissed at the light, blindly striking again. “Your ‘True Love’ probably just found someone else to love, just like Farm Boy did! Just like _everyone _did! They’ll always leave!” 

Vanitas’s blows were wild and filled with heated emotion. Riku retaliated with his own strikes, trying to just disarm Vanitas. Getting him to see reason. 

But Vanitas dodged every blow, taunting him the whole time. 

“Who says he would even want to love you now. Does he know you let darkness into your heart?” Vanitas suddenly melted into the shadows. 

Riku gasped and summoned his magical energy, creating a barrier just in time. The clang of Vanitas’s blade hitting Riku’s barrier echoed throughout the castle grounds, drawing more attention than Riku intended. 

“Who says we get to have what we want?!” Vanitas screamed, hitting the barrier again, trying to get it to crack. 

But Riku wouldn’t let it. He waited until Vanitas had his blade raised for another blow, then jumped out of the magical barrier, making it explode outwards, and it hit Vanitas in the chest. Vanitas flew back, and Riku followed up with another blow. 

“I’m tired of other people telling me what to do and how to feel.” Riku now had the upper hand, putting Vanias on the defensive. “Sora and I always followed our hearts, and I forgot that. Forgot our promise. But never _ again _.” 

Vanitas growled and tried to push back, but Riku used his strength, the faith he had in Sora. He felt so powerful now like he could take on the world. He would get back to Sora’s side. 

“My heart is leading me back to him,” Riku finished, locking his blade with Vanitas’s and pulling it out of Vanitas’s tight grip. “It always will. I didn’t listen to it before, but I’m going to listen to it now. I owe him that.” 

Riku backed away. He had to find the King and Princess Aqua. There had to be another way to create an alliance if one was needed. He still wasn’t sure that it was. But he could explain that too. 

He heard Vanitas’s harsh breath behind him. Something that might have been a sob if Vanitas knew how to cry. Riku felt a pang of sympathy and he turned back for a moment. 

“What is that boy’s name? The Farm Boy?” 

Vanitas glared at him, letting out a sharp “tch” before turning away, a dark blush now noticeable on tanned cheeks. 

Riku blinked in realization. Vanitas didn’t even know the boy’s name. “See? And that’s why you’ll never find the love you so desperately want. You’re too scared.” 

“I’m not scared of anything, much less some stupid emotion,” Vanitas growled, glaring at Riku, a look that lost all its malice when Riku noticed the redness around those golden eyes. “Love is weak. It just widens the cracks in our hearts.” 

Riku shook his head sadly, wishing that he could make Vanitas understand. “You’re wrong. Love fills them in. I hope you can figure that out someday.” 

Riku walked away, refusing to look back again. “As far as I’m concerned this engagement is over.” 

With that, Riku left the castle wall, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days, years maybe. If he left today, he might be able to find a ship headed towards pirated waters. Maybe the Dread Pirate Sparrow could use another crew member. 

He found the King, as well as Aqua, Terra, and Ven in the throne room. They looked up when he entered and he offered a bow. “Please, forgive this intrusion—”

“You can’t intrude on your own family,” King Eraqus said with a nod. “But I can sense that you have something on your mind.” 

Riku swallowed around a suddenly dry throat. “Sir, it’s about the alliance. I— I’m sorry, but I can no longer go through with it. My heart calls me elsewhere.” 

Eraqus frowned. “And where does your heart lead?”

“Back home where it belongs.” Riku squeezed his fist, searching for the right words. “Back to Sora, sir. He’s alive.” 

“He is?!”

“What?!” 

Both Terra and Aqua stood out of their seats, while Eraqus’s frown deepened. Ven raised a hand to his mouth in shock. 

“Are you certain?” The King asked. 

“Yes.” Riku nodded, then bowed again, this time in apology. “I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. But he was the one who rescued me from my kidnappers. Not Vanitas and Xehanort. I thought— Sora has been living the last year or so undercover as a pirate together with the Dread Pirate Sparrow. Xehanort… conveyed to me that Sora would be hung if he ever showed up at the castle.” 

Riku hoped that was the right thing to say. What if Eraqus agreed that Sora should be killed for crimes pinned on another Dread Pirate Sparrow? 

But he needn’t have worried. 

“Xehanort does not have the final say on the law in this Kingdom,” Eraqus said gravely. “I wish you had brought this information to us sooner.” 

“Sir?” 

“Xehanort just brought evidence that Radiant Garden is preparing for war,” Aqua said, pointing at a letter. “Not that I believe it. Xion has said nothing—”

“Xehanort has also indicated that Xion could have been a spy,” Eraqus said, “That is why I sent her home. Better to be safe in one’s own Kingdom than being accused as a spy in another.” 

“That’s ridiculous!” Riku protested. Xion would never be a spy. She was stubborn and occasionally a little angry, but never deceitful. “Sir, I trained with Xion every day for two years, she would never—” Riku stopped when Eraqus held up a hand. 

“Peace, Riku. I merely sent her away before Xehanort’s accusations put her in danger from the public. I know Xehanort from my own training days, and I know how convincing he can be. Still…” The King trailed off with a sigh. “I do not know if he would go to such lengths to incite a war if there isn’t cause for one.” 

Riku bit his lip in thought before continuing. “Sir. Please, release me from the alliance so I may seek out my heart’s desire. I need— ”

“I’m sorry, Riku, but as I stated once: an alliance once given is not so easily broken. I will do what I can to convince Xehanort to call it off. Perhaps an alternative will show itself. We can delay things.” 

Riku felt his heart drop. “Sir, plea—” 

Another weary but firm look from the King cut him off. 

“You may write Sora a letter, however. Does he still sail with the pirate?” 

“Uh well,” Riku wondered if he was allowed to tell Sora’s secret, but then decided that a simple yes would be sufficient. “Yes. The ship is known as _The_ _Leviathan_.” 

“Very well. We can send out a few copies of the letter with various ships we have in the area. At the very least, we can officially pardon him so that he may stand at your side.” Eraqus walked over and laid gentle hands-on Riku’s shoulders. “I understand what it means to be separated from half of your heart. I will do my best to release you from your vow. But please remain in the castle until we can do that.” 

Riku looked up at the King, finding nothing but sincerity in those dark blue eyes. His fingernails bit into the palm of his hand as his fist clenched, but Riku let out a short nod. 

“I understand, sir.” 

Riku turned to go, intending to write that letter. 

Suddenly, a sharp pain in his heart caused him to collapse to his knees. 

_ Sora? _

Something— Something was wrong!

“Riku?!”

“Riku!” 

Aqua and Terra’s voices rang out and soon Riku felt Terra’s strong hands wrap around his shoulders, steadying him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Riku shook his head, unable to put the ache in his heart into words. It felt like a thousand nightmares circling him at once. Felt like someone was reaching in to squeeze his heart to pieces. 

It felt like dying. 

Something was wrong. Sora— 

“Sora…” Riku gasped out. 

There was something wrong with Sora. 

Then, as soon as the pain had set in, it was gone. 

Completely gone. Not even an ache to remember it by. 

His heart felt empty. 

Riku gasped, searching for the bond to Sora. But the connection felt shriveled and broken. 

Could... Was Sora—?

_ No! _

Riku shook his head, clutching his fist over his chest. He already went through this once. He had doubted. And he had promised. 

He would never doubt again. 

Riku had to believe. Sora would come back from whatever this was. He came back from the grave once. Whatever this was couldn’t be as bad. 

Distantly, he heard Aqua offer to run for water. Ven brought over a chair and Riku sat gratefully. 

Though the pain was gone, he still felt uneasy. 

But he just had to have faith. 

He had made a promise to Sora, and he had no intention of breaking it ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... I'm sure everything is _fine_. 😬


	12. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vanitas doesn't handle the news of his broken engagement well and continues to make a series of terrible decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for abuse and torture in this chapter. If you wish to skip, I recommend reading up until Vanitas says "Take me to him." You can resume reading after "He couldn't say he remembered walking back to the castle." I'll write a brief summary of what happens as it is very important to the plot. 
> 
> Well, I've been putting off posting this chapter, and I recommend re-looking at the tags before you read as well. To make up for it though, I will be posting the next chapter on Tuesday, and the one after that on Thursday.

Vanitas watched Riku walk away. 

_ “I’m not marrying you. As far as I’m concerned, this engagement is over.” _

The words echoed through Vanitas’s head. 

_ “...this engagement is over.” _

_ No! _ Vanitas gritted his teeth. _ It’s not over. It’s not over until _ I say _it’s over. _

He wasn’t going to let another one slip away. This was his one chance at some kind of happiness, and some other bastard had to ruin it. 

Furiously, Vanitas wiped under his eyes, ignoring whatever wetness was there. He wasn’t crying. Crying was weak and foolish. He was angry. Pissed. 

Those emotions he understood. 

Riku’s figure disappeared into the castle. Vanitas gritted his teeth and turned in the opposite direction. His keyblade had long disappeared which was fine. He didn’t need it. 

He just had to find Xehanort. 

Xehanort would fix things. Wouldn’t let Riku leave the alliance. 

Riku would be Vanitas’s husband whether he liked it or not. 

Would remain by Vanitas’s side no matter what. 

He ignored the ache in his hand, his fingers clenched tightly into a fist. He just wanted to hit _something. _Anything to release the anger in his heart. 

Vanitas searched the castle as best he could without directly asking anyone for Xehanort’s whereabouts. With his luck, the old man would be with the other King. 

After checking the old man’s favorite spot in the library, he came to the conclusion that Xehanort was not in the castle. Which left only one spot. 

Vanitas glared at the ridiculous guard at the front gates as he passed through them. The stupid blond cared more about his sitar than actually guarding the castle. Even now, he just waved at Vanitas before returning to tuning his instrument, his eyes closed and uncaring to any threat. 

How could these people live like this? Just… going with their heart. It was stupid. Hearts weren’t strong enough to make decisions. They were too wild, too stupid. 

And they hurt. 

Vanitas walked through the forest, his heart beating so loud he could hear it in his ears and he hated it. Why couldn't it just shut up? Why couldn't everyone just shut up and be silent so that they stopped saying dumb things? 

Why couldn’t the world just let him be happy for once?!

Vanitas punched a tree, smirking at the crack that resounded through the forest. There was a pain in his hand, but it wasn’t nearly as hurtful as the pain in his heart, and therefore it was tolerable. Besides, it left a dent in the tree. He could leave damage. The tree would remember him. 

With an aching hand and a bleeding heart, Vanitas made it to the secret clearing Xehanort had shown him months ago. A secret laboratory the old man had created during his training years. Someplace away from his own master, where he could experiment with hearts. What they contained and what they could do. 

Vanitas knew that Xehanort had likely set up some new experiments to entertain himself between the wedding plans and murder plots and other boring castle intrigues. So if the old man wasn’t at the castle, he was likely here. 

He raised his hand to hit the knot on the right tree, but before he could, the door shifted, revealing the pale servant that had followed Xehanort around for as long as Vantas could remember. 

“Oh! Your Highness!” The girl covered her mouth, startled at his appearance. Then she bowed. “How— How can I help you?”

Vanitas scoffed. “Is he down there?” 

“He—” The girl hesitated. “He’s with an experiment.” 

“Take me to him.” 

The girl hesitated for only a moment longer before nodding, turning to lead him down into the dungeon that served as the laboratory. Vanitas kept his eyes firmly focused on the ground. He always hated Xehanort’s lab back home, never liking the pleading looks from some of the experiments the King kept alive. 

“Nam— Naminé? Did— Water?” 

Vanitas gasped, looking up and seeing a figure strapped to the table in the middle of the room. Several wires hooked the figure up to a machine. 

A machine that looked much too familiar. 

Instinctively, Vanitas took a step back. How did Xehanort get that machine here? Did he recreate it? Or—

Or was this the original machine? 

Vanitas raised a hand over his heart, where the cracks first formed. He knew this machine too well, knew the unspeakable harm it could cause. 

“I’m sorry. I— couldn’t grab it.” Naminé walked over to the man. “I’m sorry.”

The figure shook his head. “It’s okay.” 

Vanitas forced his eyes away from the machine and to the figure. With a gasp, he realized that the man was the one they found Riku with at the edge of the Fire Swamp. 

Riku’s “true love”. Sora. 

So. Xehanort decided to keep another experiment.

The anger in Vanitas’s chest flared to life again and he stalked over, shoving Naminé out of the way. The girl let out a started sound but Vanitas didn’t care. 

“You!” 

Blue eyes were a little hazy when they glanced up at him, but recognition sparked as the man put Vanitas’s face to a name. 

“You.” 

Vanitas didn’t like how their voices were similar. He hated that they even l_ooked _similar. 

He hated that no matter what Vanitas did, this commoner copycat would always get what Vanitas wanted. 

“This is your fault. I had one last chance and you ruined it!” Vanias curled his hand into a fist again. “You ruined everything. Riku is mine!” 

“Riku—” Sora’s brow furrowed. “Riku’s not anyone’s. He’s just… He’s Riku. I’m sorry.”

Vanitas gritted his teeth. “I don’t care about your half-assed apologies. You did this.” 

His eyes glanced around wildly, not finding Xehanort, but he did find the switch to the machine. He ran over. Sora had to pay for what he did. Had to feel every ounce of hurt Vanitas felt right now. 

“What you’re about to feel is only a fraction of the pain in my heart.” He ran over to the machine, turning the power on to max. His hand hovered over the switch. He remembered the look of pity in Riku's eyes. The feeling that Riku was looking down on him. 

"I'm sorry..." Sora whispered again. 

Vanitas glanced over, finding no pity in Sora's eyes. Just understanding. 

“Vanitas!”

Vanitas's hand flinched at Xehanort's shout, spasming against the switch that turned the machine on. The gears whirred to life. 

“No!” Naminé shouted, reaching out to stop him. 

But it was too late. A light emitted right over Sora’s chest. 

There was a moment of absolute stillness before Sora let out a choked-off gasp, biting his lip until it bled. But the scream escaped anyway, growing in volume until it became unbearable to Vanitas’s ears. 

It went on and on and on, Sora’s body spasming and contorting unnaturally from where it was strapped to the table. 

The cry hurt worse than anything Vanitas had been feeling. It was pure heartbreak.

“Ri— Riku!!!” 

The light stopped as fast as it had started, and Sora collapsed against the table, completely limp, his eyes half opened and unseeing. 

“N-No!” 

Vanitas glanced over at Naminé who had her hands in front of her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she let out another sob.

“What have I told you about my experiments?” 

Vanitas didn’t have time to think before Xehanort’s blade knocked him into the wall, his head cracking against the stones that made up the laboratory. He gasped in pain, curling in on himself, trying to contain the hurt that still lingered in his heart, the hurt that Sora’s cries had amplified. 

He didn’t think that pain could be that loud. Or that deep. 

“Shut up, you stupid girl!” Xehanort growled. “And clean this mess up!” 

Naminé cut off her next sob with a choked-off gasp. She held a hand to her mouth, trying to physically hold the sounds in. Xehanort’s spell of obedience meant that she couldn’t sob or make a sound, even if her body and heart wanted to. 

Xehanort leveled another glare a Vanitas before he stalked towards the door, marching up the laboratory steps. There was the sound of a door slamming before Vanitas and Naminé were left alone with only the dead body of Riku’s love to keep them company. 

Naminé was still choking on her sobs, the tears streaming down her face even as she reached out to disconnect all the wires attached to Sora. 

Vanitas couldn’t help his stare. It was so strange. He had never— he didn’t expect the screaming. Didn’t expect—

“What have I done?”

He couldn't say he remembered walking back to the castle. Or how he ended up back in the great hall. His mind was both too full and too empty. Full of the phrase “What have I done?!” echoing over and over and over again. Memories of Sora’s scream of pain, his desperate cry for Riku. 

Vanitas… Vanitas had done that. Vanitas had—

No— Vanitas shook his head. It wasn’t his fault. It was Sora’s fault, right? For taking away— for not letting Vanitas just have Riku. That’s all he wanted. Sora could have everything else. If he just— 

It was Xehanort’s fault. For keeping the machine there. Putting it where Vanitas could use it. For startling him. He would have never—

“Ahh, Vanitas. I see you have returned from your walk.” 

Vanitas jerked, startled out of his racing thoughts. Hesitantly glancing up, he saw Xehanort smirking at him. Just behind him was King Eraqus and his family, Riku sitting in a chair and clutching his chest, looking like he had just escaped some great battle. His hair was damp with sweat, and he was still breathing hard. 

And he was glaring at Xehanort with deadly teal eyes. 

Vanitas didn’t understand. “What’s wrong with—” 

“I have just been informed that the man who we rescued Riku from was actually once an apprentice here,” Xehanort continued as if Vanitas hadn’t even spoken. 

Vanitas didn’t like Xehanort’s tone. There was the false jovialness he put on for King Eraqus, but there was something… off about it. 

“Yeah?”

Vanitas wasn’t sure what else to say to that. He already knew that so what— 

“And Riku would like to… break off his engagement to marry this apprentice.” 

“Yeah.” Vanitas knew that too. All too well. 

“Unfortunately, alliances must be made. So we came up with a… wager. If Riku’s letter gets through to his true love and Sora arrives here within the three days before the wedding, then he is released from his vow, and we will search for another route. If not…” Xehanort trailed off, raising an eyebrow. 

Vanitas gulped, his eyes glancing over at Riku and feeling a pang of… _something _in his heart. 

Sora wouldn’t be coming back. Ever. 

“If not…?” Vanitas asked though he knew what the answer was. Riku was important for some reason, and Xehanort wanted both him and Vanitas close at hand.

“If not, the wedding shall continue as planned. You’ll be wed in three days.” 

“Xehanort,” Eraqus stated. “I want your word. Yours and Vanitas’s. If Sora should return in those three days then—” 

“If Sora returns at all, I will, of course, give up our claim on Riku for the alliance. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?” 

How could none of them see through Xehanort’s words? 

It appeared that Eraqus was no longer as easily fooled though. His gaze narrowed on Xehanort before he turned his glare to Vanitas. “And you?”

“I— yes.” Vanitas nodded, pushing down that feeling in his heart. The one that made him want to scream aloud what he had done to Sora. He was _so close _to what he wanted. Stupid heart for trying to dissuade him. “I swear. If Sora can return, I will release Riku from the engagement.” 

After a long moment, Eraqus nodded and turned back to his family. Riku’s face had softened, a small smile gracing it. He must have been thinking of Sora. 

And again that spike of emotion nearly brought Vanitas to his knees. 

He could hear Sora’s scream in his head still. He was sure he’d hear it for the rest of his life. 

Sora would never come. Riku would be his. 

Suddenly, instead of the anticipation that Vanitas had been feeling for weeks, he only felt dread at the thought of the wedding. 

What had he done? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Vanitas walks into Xehanort's lab and finds Sora. Believing Sora is the source of the pain he is feeling, Vanitas sets up Xehanort's machine to amplify the max amount of hurt to Sora's heart. He hesitates over pressing the on switch though. Xehanort comes in and startles Vanitas, who hits the switch on accident. Sora does not survive the maximum amount of hurt the machine produces. Vanitas is in shock of what he has done. 
> 
> So... before you raise your pitchforks, again a) read the tags. and b) maybe not all is lost? 
> 
> Miracles can happen after all. We'll have to see what Kairi and Lea are up to! Next update will be on Tuesday!


	13. Mostly Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lea and Kairi are in search of a miracle.

“Are you sure it was—”

“Yes, it was right here!” Kairi huffed in frustration, glancing around again. But it was no use. They couldn’t find even a hint of where Xehanort had taken the masked man. They had been searching the forest for days.

“C’mon, maybe this—” 

Lea was cut off when a cry rose up around them, reverberating through the forest. Kairi nearly thought it might have been a wounded animal of some sort, but it sounded human. A human in so much pain their heart was breaking. 

She doubled over in sympathy pain. How could anyone feel that sort of pain without—

Just as suddenly as the sound started, it stopped. 

Kairi felt her heart drop. Could it be—

“What was that?” Lea asked, holding his hand against his chest. “Sounded like someone dying in agony.”

“It was the masked man,” Kairi said, sure of it even though she had no proof. But it made sense. The wedding was in a few days. “His true love is marrying another. That was a cry of unbearable sorrow.” It was like the sound her heart had made when Xehanort had struck down her Grandmother. 

Kairi turned in a circle. The cry had sounded like it had reverberated from the very ground as if the earth was screaming out with the masked man. But it had to have come from somewhere. “C’mon. I think it came from this direction.” 

They ran deeper into the forest, the leaves growing thicker and blocking the sun until they had to slow down before they tripped over a branch in the darkened forest. 

“This can’t be shade from the trees,” Lea muttered. “It’s too unnatural.” 

“Yeah,” Kairi said, letting out a cry as her foot hit a branch. It was only thanks to Lea that she didn’t faceplant in the dirt. “Aren’t you a fire mage? Can’t you—” 

A glow began to emanate from Lea’s hand before she even finished the thought, illuminating Lea’s sheepish face. 

“Sometimes I forget fire can do more than just burn.” 

Kairi sighed, taking a look around and trying to get her bearings in this forest. 

“Look!” 

She jerked her head around to where Lea was pointing, finding the flames from Lea’s fire reflecting off the pale skin of a figure walking into a clearing of trees, their heads bowed low while they pushed a wheelbarrow. 

“C’mon,” Kairi whispered, already moving so she could cut the figure off before they wandered too far. 

“Wh— Kai! Kairi!”

Lea’s hushed warning followed her, but she ignored it. There was something about the figure. Something so familiar. The way their skin practically glowed in the firelight, light blonde hair. 

“Naminé?!” Kairi gasped, stepping into the figure’s path. 

The girl shrieked in fright, raising her head. One look in her eyes and Kairi  _ knew _ . 

“Naminé?” She asked again, stepping closer. “Is it… Is it really you?” 

“Kai— Kairi?” Naminé’s voice was a near whisper. “You— You’re alive?!”

Kairi nodded, reaching out until her hand touched Namine’s arm. It seemed solid enough. So Naminé wasn’t a ghost or an apparition. 

She was really here. 

Unable to hold it in any longer, Kairi stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Naminé completely. “I thought you were gone forever! I didn’t—”

“You’re really here?” Naminé asked as she leaned into the embrace. “You’re… not some illusion. Just some dream?” 

“Trust me. A dream couldn’t be as stubborn as Kai is.” 

Naminé gasped and broke away from the embrace. “Who—?”

“It’s okay, Naminé,” Kairi assured her old friend. “This is Lea… we’re, uh, friends. Kinda.”

She turned back to Lea. “This is Naminé. She— She was with me when Xehanort killed my grandma. When… Xehanort had taken her.” Kairi turned back to the other girl, feeling her brow furrow in confusion. 

She had always wondered why Xehanort had taken Naminé and not her. Why not take the Princess if you were trying to cause disorder in the Kingdom? 

But Naminé refused to meet her gaze “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Well, we are,” Lea said, stepping closer, his flames casting flickering shadows on everyone. “Maybe you can help us. We’re looking for a young man. He was wearing a long coat last we saw—” 

“You shouldn’t be here,” Naminé repeated, her fingers flickering nervously to her wrist, tugging at some kind of bracelet there. “Please leave. I don’t wanna—”

“Naminé, what’s wrong?” Kairi interrupted. It had been a few years, but she didn’t think her friend would be this dismissive. Not after the way she had reacted when she saw Kairi. 

“Kairi, please. I can’t— I—” She fiddled with the bracelet again. 

“Okay,” Lea murmured. “It’s okay. You can’t tell us, right? You can’t say why we can’t be here.” 

Naminé looked up at him for a moment before nodding sharply. 

Kairi glanced up at her, then down at the bracelet. “What is that?”

“It’s a servant binding charm,” Lea said when Naminé, again, refused to answer. “They’ve been outlawed in all three kingdoms for centuries. Where Xehanort has even found one is beyond me. But we can’t get it off without the key.” 

Kairi glanced down at her hand, summoning her blade. “We’ll see about that.” 

She aimed her key at the charm on Naminé’s wrist, a beam of light shooting out and hitting the metal, but it glanced off at the last moment. Naminé flinched and stepped back, clutching her wrist to her chest. 

“Xehanort’s a keyblade wielder too right?” Lea pointed out, crossing his arms. “He probably put his own protections on it.” 

Kairi gritted her teeth, letting out a groan of frustration. “Where’s the key then? Do you know, Naminé? What about a masked man? Where is he? We heard him cry out, I know we—” She cut off when tears started to roll down Naminé’s cheeks. 

The girl shook as she shook her head, pulling at the bracelet. “I— I— I c-can’t. I—” She hiccuped, her shakes growing in intensity. “Sora’s in the laboratory!” 

The bracelet around her wrist blazed white-hot for a moment and Naminé let out a shriek before falling silent, collapsing to the ground. 

Kairi let out a cry of dismay, crouching next to the pale girl and lifting the wrist with the bracelet. Though the skin was unmarked, the bracelet felt hot to the touch, still tingling with magic. Feeling for a pulse, Kairi let out a relieved sigh when she found it. 

“It must have knocked her out when she rebelled against the charm,” Kairi said. Sora… that must have been the masked man’s name. 

“It probably took her every ounce of strength she had,” Lea said, reaching out to lift Naminé into his arms, placing her in the wheelbarrow and covering her with his cloak to keep her warm. Turning, he looked at Kairi. “Where to now?” 

Kairi frowned, wondering the same thing. Where could they find the masked man now if Naminé couldn’t tell them? She looked down at her blade. She had summoned Destiny’s Embrace, the one she had inherited from her grandmother and her favorite.

Closing her eyes, Kairi called her Grandmother with all her heart. “Please, Grandma. Help me try and fix this. Help me find the masked man.” 

She didn’t feel anything, but she heard Lea let out a startled shout. 

Blinking her eyes open, she looked downwards, finding her keyblade glowing in her hand. When she lifted it, a light emerged from the tip. It was different than when she had tried to free Naminé. This light was golden and warm. 

It was Grandmother showing her the way. She just knew it. 

“This way!” She looked back at Lea, who picked up the handles of the wheelbarrow, ready to take Naminé with them. 

The light pulsed as it led them deeper into the forest until they entered another clearing. The light pulsed towards a tree where it ended. Kairi looked around the tree but found nothing. 

Now what?

Letting out a sigh, Kairi placed her hand against the rough bark, pressing her weight against it as she thought. 

Suddenly something shifted and she nearly fell through the trunk. “Ack! What the—” 

“Woah!” 

Lea grabbed her arm before she fell down the stairs that had appeared from nowhere. 

“Who builds a secret room in a tree?!” Lea ducked under the small doorway. 

Kairi shrugged but followed him down the stairs. 

It was evident that it was a laboratory of some sort. There were glass instruments and notebooks everywhere, many half-filled and strewn across empty workbenches. Some of it was covered in layers of dust, but a lot of it was shiny and new. 

Especially the machine near the wall. 

And the table with the masked man on it. 

Running over, Kairi immediately undid the straps tying the man down. “Is he unconscious or something?” She looked up at Lea who was frowning deeply. 

With a deep sigh, Lea laid his head down on the man’s chest, listening for something. After a long moment, he shook his head. “There’s no heartbeat. He’s dead.” 

—-

_ No reader, you read that correctly. Sora is dead. D.E.A.D. Dead.  _

_ I know, reader, I know. I, too, was crushed when Mom told me that. Thought for sure he read it wrong. Sora is the hero of the story, he couldn’t be dead. And what about Kairi’s thirst for revenge on Xehanort? If Sora dies now, who gets Vanitas? Is it Riku? Or Kairi?  _

_ Well, dear reader, this might be a bit of a spoiler, but it’s the same spoiler Mom told me, and I turned out mostly alright: no one gets Vanitas.  _

_ But, dear reader, remember what I said before? Life isn’t fair. Sometimes the wrong people die, and you just have to make do with what you are left with: A body that can’t say much. So before you start alighting your torches to come and hunt me down for abridging this tragic love story for you, let’s just see what Kairi and Lea decide to do. It might change your mind about the torches.  _

_ Hopefully.  _

——

“What?!” Kairi did her own check, but sure enough, there was no steady thump coming from the chest. It was hollow. “No…” 

Lea crossed his arms. “I suppose we could bury him.” 

Kairi bit her lip. It couldn’t be over just like that. There had to be some— “We’ll bring him to Ienzo.” 

Lea shot her an incredulous look. “I’m sorry, we’re gonna do what?” 

“C’mon, lift him up. Don’t you think that with all of the things Ienzo knows, he might know something to help this?”

“He’s dead, Kairi. Not just… sick or something!” 

“I can’t let that be the end of it. We have to do something. A miracle or something. C’mon!” 

Kairi pulled Naminé onto her back, and they threw the former masked man into the wheelbarrow, carrying both of them to the small shack they had left Ienzo in. Ienzo had been hard at work coordinating their escape, as none of them had any money to charter a boat, and communications between Radiant Garden’s Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Heart had dwindled to nearly nothing. Getting a letter through required a lot of bribery and favors.

Ienzo was bent over his workbench, deep into planning, when they entered. Kairi laid Naminé on the only bed while Lea put Sora on the table. 

Ienzo barely looked up. “I asked for a masked fighter and you bring me a dead man.” 

“Yeah, can you fix that?” Kairi asked. 

Ienzo looked at her. “Can I fix...death? I think that’s a bit far out of my purview.” 

“Dammit.” 

Ienzo looked over the former masked man’s form, poking it in places. “Well… it’s out of my realm of expertise, but I’ve heard of a man on the edges of the village nearby. He’s a miracle man. Maybe he can do something with… this.” 

They didn’t have much of a choice. After begging Ienzo to see if he could lift the charm on Naminé’s wrist, Lea and Kairi carried the masked man over to the house Ienzo had spoken of. Kairi knocked quickly while Lea dragged Sora out of the cart. 

“Please! We need your help!” Kairi called out. 

The door suddenly opened, revealing only one beady eye and half of a very long white beard. “Yes, what do you want?”

“Are you the miracle man they speak of in the village?” Kairi asked. 

“Yeah. The name is Merlin, missy. What of it?” 

“We could really use your help.” Kairi gestured towards the limp body in Lea’s arms. 

Merlin scoffed. “What do you want with a rotten miracle man with rotten miracles? That stupid King of the Badlands fired me, you know. I might kill whoever you want me to miracle.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay,” Kairi said, pointing at Sora. “He’s already dead.”

“Oh, is he?” Merlin thought about it for a moment. “I’ve always been pretty good at dead. Alright, bring him in. I can’t promise anything though.” 

Merlin opened the door wider, and Kairi helped Lea place Sora on the table inside. 

The old man’s fingers twitched as he stroked his beard. “I see, I see… hmmm.” 

Kairi watched him for a moment, struggling not to yell at the man to hurry up. 

But he continued to poke and prod at Sora as if that was gonna get the man to wake up. 

“Sir?” Kairi started, raising her voice when the man ignored her. “Sir? We’re in a big hurry.” 

“Don’t rush miracles, missy. That’s how you get rotten miracles.” Merlin turned around, looking towards the fireplace. ‘Now where did I put that— oh there it is!” 

He grabbed a large bellow from the fireplace, shaking a finger at them the whole time. “Now what’s this all about? Did he owe you money or something?”

“No!” Kairi shouted. 

“Hmm…” Merlin raised an eyebrow. “How much money you got anyway?” 

“Uhhh…” Kairi trailed off, searching her pockets. There might have been a gold piece in there. A spare kupo coin. Piece of lint… She glanced at Lea who shrugged and patted his pockets. “Uh, well, I’ve got uh…” 

Merlin scoffed. “You expect a miracle for free? Miracles don’t come cheap young lady. I’ve never worked for free. Except for this one time but it was for a noble cause.” 

“This is noble!” Kairi protested though she stuttered when Merlin looked at her. “He uh… has a kid… and the kid needs him. And then there’s the— impending thing… And the other thing—” She cut off when Merlin smiled at her, kinder than anything he had been so far. 

“I think you’re done with coming up with fake stories, your Highness. They were never really you.” 

Kairi gulped. “How— How did—” 

“I used to do work for your Grandmother a few times. Lovely lady. But when the coup came...well… There are some things even miracles can’t fix.” Merlin turned back to his task, shoving the end of the bellows into Sora’s mouth. 

Kairi clenched a fist over her heart, but for once the pain of losing her grandmother didn’t feel as overbearing as it once was. Turning she looked at what the miracle man was actually doing. 

“I don’t think forcing air into his lungs is gonna work, old man,” Lea pointed out. 

“Hehe,” Merlin scoffed. “Shows what you know. Look, if I’m gonna do this job, I’m gonna make sure this guy actually wants to come back to life. So, we’re just gonna ask him what he wants.”

Kairi’s brow furrowed. “How? He’s dead.” 

“Nope,” Merlin stated, continuing to pump air into Sora’s lungs. “Your friend here is only  _ mostly _ dead. You see there’s all dead and then there’s mostly dead. Mostly dead, means still a bit of life. All dead… well. There’s only one thing you can do with all dead.” 

Kairi frowned. “What’s that?”

“Dig through his pockets and look for loose Ethers.”

After another pump or two, Merlin removed the bellows, leaning in close to Sora’s ear. “Hello in there! What’s so important? What are you clinging to life for??” 

He pushed on Sora’s chest, expelling the air in Sora’s lungs. As he did so, Sora’s mouth opened, and against all odds, Kairi heard Sora’s voice speak. 

“Trrrrrruuuueeee… lllllooooove.” 

“There! You hear that!” Kairi asked, excited. “He said ‘true love!’ You can’t ask for more noble a cause than that. He wants to come back to life, I know it!” 

Merlin looked like he was at a loss for words. “Well, you’re quite right there. There is no nobler cause than true love. But that’s not what he said! He said ‘to blave..’ which, of course, means to bluff! So, playing cards with ya, and he cheated so now he owes you money, right? I may have worked with your grandmother, missy, but I never expected you to be one to bring a poor man back to life just to collect on a debt—-” 

“Liar!” 

A new voice screeched from another room, and an older woman entered the kitchen. “Liar!” 

“Get back, witch!” Merlin shouted. 

“I’m not a witch, I’m your roommate!” The old woman shouted back. “True love. Merlin, he said true love!” 

“No, he didn’t!!!” Merlin placed his hands over his ears. “He didn’t say that! He didn’t!”

“Merlin!!” 

Kairi watched with mounting confusion as the old woman chased the old man around the table, Merlin insisting he didn’t hear the loud and obvious words while the old woman insisted that she could hear them all the way in the other room. “Wait. What’s going on here!” 

“Oh, hello dear. I’m the Fairy Godmother and that…  _ Merlin  _ over there is my roommate. We’ve been working together ever since King Xehanort of the Badlands had us both fired.”

“Don’t mention that name!” Merlin shouted. 

“Oh, what?” The Fairy Godmother raised her wand. “Xehanort?”

A spark flew from the end of her wand, sparking the older man’s beard. 

“Don’t say that name!” Merlin shouted, raising his own arms and firing magic back.

The Godmother’s robes fluttered around her, and she raised her wand again. “I’ll say it whenever I want. Xehanort, Xehanort, Xehanort!” 

“I don’t hear anything!” Merlin shouted. 

“Oh, you old fool. Just because you lost your confidence after trying to cure that man’s baldness.” 

“He fired me!” Merlin shouted. “I was known throughout the lands, but not anymore!!” 

“Wait!” Kairi shouted before another spell could go off. “This man is Prince Riku’s true love. If you revive him, he’ll kidnap Riku and humiliate both Xehanort and Prince Vanitas.” 

The Fairy Godmother and Merlin were still firing sparks of magic at each other, but Merlin stopped when he heard that. “Wait. He’s Riku’s true love? So… I save this one guy and Xehanort’s humiliated?”

“We’ll do our best to make sure of that!” Kairi promised. “But we need him to do it.”

“Huh…” Merlin thought about it for half a second. “I’m on the job. You can pay me back later. Godmother! Let’s get to work! It’s a dead one this time!”

“Oh! You were always good with dead!” 

—— 

Hours later, Kairi sighed as she waited, resting her head on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Lea mirrored her position in the other chair. For now, they had made Sora comfortable on the table, as if he was sleeping. 

Merlin and the Fairy Godmother were painting chocolate on some large ball thing that Merlin had made after much muttering, shouting, and spell casting. 

“That’s a miracle pill?” Lea asked, skeptical. 

“The chocolate coating helps it go down,” the Godmother said with a grin. “But you’ve got to wait… um, what do you think, Merlin? An hour?”

“Yeah, about an hour.” Merlin put the pill in a small bag passing it to Kairi. 

“An hour for full potency. And he won’t be mobile for a while after that. It’s tough work, coming back from the dead,” Godmother continued. “But it’ll revive him.” 

Kairi glanced at Lea, who stepped over to Sora, pulling him back over his shoulder. “Thank you.” She bowed before following Lea out the door. 

“Good luck storming the castle!” 

Before they were completely out of earshot, Kairi heard the Godmother’s voice. 

“Do you think they can do it?”

“It’ll take a miracle,” Merlin responded. 

Kairi laughed. They  _ had  _ a miracle now. They could do this. 

She hoped. 


	14. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a miracle happens and Sora is off to rescue his true love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... can we still pretend it's Thursday? Ugh, 2020 is not starting off so well.😂😂 I hope it gets better!!

Sora was floating and drifting. He’d lost feeling in everything: his body, his soul, his heart. Everything was drifting away. And still, he held on. Clung to a scrap of life, not ready to let go yet. Something was tethering him to his heart and body. Something so bright and warm and powerful. 

Riku. 

If he thought about Riku, he could hang on. Everything was for Riku. 

Always. 

Sora closed his eyes, and he felt himself floating somewhere else. Lost in a dream that was almost like a memory. 

When he had been younger, Sora fell ill with a severe cold that ran through the village that year. Somehow, Riku had been spared, though with how much he had teased Sora for getting sick, Sora nearly wished that his friend had gotten it as well. Yet, there was also a lot of caring whenever Riku teased. An insult would be softened by a fluff of the pillow. A roll of teal eyes would be accompanied by Riku bringing him soup and keeping him company. 

The dream was like that, except everything about it was nicer. The bed he lay on was softer than anything he remembered, the sunlight filtering in was brighter. And Riku— 

Riku was everything he was in life, except… more. 

His usual bright teal eyes positively glowed when they looked at Sora, a faint, perfect smirk playing on his face. “C’mon, Sora. You're gonna let a little thing like death stop you? I thought you were stronger than that.”

Sora chuckled weakly. “I think you put too much faith in me. I’m not sure I can come back from this. And why would I want to? You’re here.”

Instantly, Riku’s face became sad, though no less perfect. “You know this isn’t real. You need to get back to the me out there.”

Sora shook his head. “The ‘you’ out there… you abandoned me again, you—”

“You know I didn’t do that to hurt you.” Riku moved his hand so it covered Sora’s heart. “You know that in here.” 

Sora reached up to cover Riku’s hand with his own, bringing them both up so he could kiss Riku’s fingers gently. “I’m not sure I’m strong enough anymore. That— that machine—”

“Then I’ll lend you my strength.” Riku leaned in so their foreheads pressed together. “Please come back to me. Follow our connection.” 

Sora tightened his grip on Riku’s hand. He could do that. His connection to Riku was so strong. He had felt it even when he worked on the high seas, fearing for his life every day. He had felt it when he had led his first raid on a slave ship; when he had become the captain; when he had set his sights on home. He had felt it even when he heard the news that Riku was to marry the Crown Prince of the Badlands.

And he could feel it now, even in death. 

He would always follow that connection back. 

He had looked up into Riku’s eyes and nodded. Riku smiled and _ pulled. _

And so, Sora had found himself gasping back to life, expecting to see beautiful teal eyes framed by silver hair, only to be quickly disappointed by the two redheads staring at him with a mix of shock and concern. 

“Did it work?” The male one asked. Sora vaguely recognized him as the fire mage from the rock quarry. 

“Well, his eyes are open. That’s already better than five minutes ago.” 

That was.. Kairi. Sora remembered her name was Kairi. The swordswoman from the cliff face. 

Where was he? 

Why were they here?

Where was—

“Riku!” Sora gasped. “Where’s Ri—” His question was cut off when Kairi placed his hand over Sora’s mouth. 

“Shhh…” Kairi placed her finger to her lips before lowering her hand. 

Sora stared, then tried to move, his heart dropping when he couldn’t. “What happened? Why can’t I move?”

“Well… you’ve been dead all day.” The fire mage said. 

Sora felt himself frowning. “Dead?” 

“Lea and I—” She gestured towards the fire mage when she said ‘Lea’ so Sora supposed that was the name of the fire mage. “We found you, uh… well. You weren’t doing so good. So we got you a miracle pill to get better.” 

“Oh…” Sora tapped his finger against his chest in thought. 

“Hey, you got some feeling back to tap your finger. That’s a start,” Lea pointed out. 

“I gotta find Riku,” Sora said, letting out a deep sigh. “He would be so disappointed if I was just lying here all day.” 

“Well, lucky for you, we can help you with that.” Kairi glanced over his head, and Sora suddenly realized he was leaning against something cool and uncomfortable. A wall of some sort? “Riku...uh. Let me explain.”

Lea shook his head. “That’s gonna take too long, Kai.” 

“Right. Let me sum up.” Kairi tapped a finger against her chin. “Basically, the wedding between Riku and the Prince of the Badlands is in an hour, but we think Riku’s in trouble so we’re gonna help you kidnap him. And I’m gonna go defeat Xehanort if there’s time. Lea’s here for moral support.” 

Lea waved. “And to carry you around since you can’t walk and stuff.”

“Right,” Kairi nodded. “So uh… you got any ideas to get inside?”

Sora frowned. “Get inside where?!”

Lea and Kairi glanced at each other before lifting Sora up just enough that he could loll his head backward. 

There was the castle gate he remembered walking through years ago, still guarded by the same guy. Except now there was more of him...kinda.

Sora counted at least thirty see-through water-like clones of the castle guard. The guard himself was playing his sitar, seemingly in order to control the clones. 

“So. Ideas?”

Sora stared up at her in shock. “Well, uh, what are our assets?”

“Your keyblades, my keyblades, and Lea’s magic.” 

“Okay….”

When Kairi didn’t say anything else, Sora let out a sigh. “Really? Do you think we can storm the castle with just the three of us? Maybe if I had a month to plan but—” 

Sora stopped, remembering the water clones. “Fire mage… right?”

“Uhh. yeah…” Lea snapped his fingers, summoning a small flame. “Why?” 

Sora hummed, looking back at Kairi. “Weird question, but neither of you would happen to have a wheelbarrow?” 

Kairi glanced at Lea. “What did we do with that wheelbarrow we carried Sora around in?”

“I think I left it back on the ground.” 

“Okay, right.” Sora nodded. “And, uh… do you have a fireproof cloak?”

Lea’s brow furrowed. “Sure?” He dug in his shirt and pulled out a thin black cloak. “I don’t exactly use it often.”

“It’ll be perfect. Now… here’s what we’re gonna do…”

Explaining the plan took longer than actually doing it, and soon after he was leaning against Kairi’s back, his feet dragging the ground as he was still unable to support himself. Kairi was just strong enough to lift the wheelbarrow up to scootch Lea through the open gate and into the courtyard. 

“I am the Dread Pirate Sparrow!” 

Sora had to admit that Lea’s ominous voice sounded much scarier than his own. Exactly what the Dread Pirate Sparrow was supposed to be in the ghost stories. 

“I leave no man alive. Everyone here will soon not be here.” 

Well, what Lea had in the tone he lacked in actual good threats. 

“Now?” Kairi asked through gritted teeth. 

“Light him,” Sora said. 

Kairi used the torch Lea had lit for them before to set fire to Lea’s cloak, the fabric allowing it to catch fire without burning. 

“Run now! While you still can.” Lea let loose with a few fireballs of his own, and if the now cowering guard was anything to go by, the effect was terrifying.

Many of the clones ran, evidently just as cowardly as the man they were based on. If any stood to fight, Lea quickly took care of them with another burst of flame. 

Soon it was just the three of them and the guard. Sora leaned against Kairi heavily as they stared the guard down. The guard shook, even as he tried to stand his ground. 

“Give us the key,” Kairi said, voice deadly. 

“Key? What key?” the guard whimpered. 

“Lea? Burn his limbs off.” 

“Oh. you mean this key!” The guard quickly fished a long slender key from his pocket. Passing it over, the guard let out one last whimper before running away. 

Kairi let out a breathless laugh that the plan worked, and Sora shared in her smile. 

Suddenly, they heard something that caused Sora’s heart to drop. 

The bells from the church. 

_ Ding! Dong! _

Sora gasped as each sound sent a spike of pain in his heart. “Is… is it over? Did we—”

“It’s just started,” Kairi reassured him. “We still have time…” 

Sora breathed a little easier, clenching his fist. “If only I could—”

“We got you,” Lea added, swinging Sora’s arm around his shoulders, propping him up. “Now what?”

“Yeah, how are we gonna find Riku? And once we find him, how are we gonna sneak him out of the wedding? And how are  _ we _ gonna sneak out?” Kairi’s questions all came out at once.

“Woah there, spitfire,” Lea muttered. “Don’t ask him everything at once. He’s had a long day.” 

“Right. Sorry.” 

Sora chuckled. “I guess we can start by just… opening the door?”

They used the key to unlock the front door. The hall was empty, which wasn’t surprising if everyone was at the wedding. Sora strived to remember where the throne room was. Where he and Riku had been led to when they first arrived at the castle. Was it up the stairs and to the left? Or to the left and down the stairs? Or to the right…

“We could follow the sound of the bells?” Lea suggested. 

Sora nodded and together they started to make their way slowly down the left hallway. 

A hallway that suddenly wasn’t so empty when three guards wearing dark uniforms came rushing at them. 

“Xehanort’s goons,” Sora muttered, recognizing them from the outskirts of the forbidden swamp. He clenched his fist, trying to summon his keyblade. But his heart clenched in a pain so sharp he thought he would die again the moment he thought of it. 

He hadn’t recovered enough strength yet. 

Suddenly his head knocked into a stone pillar as Lea swung around to avoid a sword to the chest. 

“Ow!” Sora cried out, wishing his arms would at least respond so he could cradle his head. “That hurt a lot!” 

“Lea, please don’t knock the guy unconscious. We’ll still need him to leave this place after Xehanort’s gone,” Kairi groaned, fighting her way through several Badlands guards that were blocking their path. Several more emerged from the woodwork, appearing behind them as well. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Lea shifted again to dodge a fireball aimed in his general direction, responding with one of his own stronger attacks. The guard went down quickly. 

Sora ached to join in but he had to conserve what strength he had for Riku. He would have to rely on the others to get him safely to where he needed to go. 

At least his companions were pretty reliable. Lea was a master at his fire magic while Kairi dispatched the guards with ease. 

It was truly just a matter of a bit more skill and a whole lot of luck that Sora had been able to defeat them at all. 

Lea let out a whistle when Kairi managed to block two guards with one keyblade and take them out with her second blade. “You are really good at that!”

Kairi grinned. “Thanks! Though… I’ll be sad to give up practicing so much if I’m going to be spending my time helping Ansem rebuild Radi—” 

Kairi’s words suddenly cut off as something else caught her attention. 

Sora glanced at her, then around the battlefield, which had somehow come to a complete standstill. The guards seemed to have disappeared as quickly as they had come. 

“You!” 

Kairi’s shout brought Sora’s attention back to the hallway. He tried to peer through the darkness, finally seeing what had caught Kairi’s attention. A figure wrapped in shadows stalked towards them. Even at this distance, he recognized the stooped figure and the blazing gold eyes. 

Xehanort. 

At that moment, it seemed that Kairi had forgotten about her companions, her eyes narrowing at the new target, her hand gripping her keyblade tightly. 

Xehanort stared at them for a moment, before waving his hand. 

Four new shadow-like guards peeled away from the corridor’s dark corners and rushed at Kairi. 

Kairi didn’t even blink as she dispatched and disarmed all of them. Once the last guard disappeared in a puff of black smoke, she held Destiny’s Embrace out, pointing the blade straight at Xehanort’s heart. 

“My name is Kairi, you killed my Grandmother. You threw my Kingdom into chaos! Prepare to die!” 

Xehanort smirked.

Then he stepped backward quickly, melting into the shadows at the end of the corridor. 

Kairi barely hesitated for a second, running after him. 

“Oh boy,” Sora groaned when her footsteps quickly faded as she ran further and further away. If they lost track of each other now— 

“Lea!” Kairi’s voice came from further down the hall. “Lea! I need you! He’s getting away!!” 

“Oh, um...well…” 

Sora’s arm was removed from Lea’s shoulder, and Lea unceremoniously propped him up against the wall. 

“I can move a lot faster if I’m not carrying you. Be back in a sec!” The older man sprinted in the direction of Kairi’s voice. 

Sora frowned and waited. And waited. And waited. There was a loud crash from somewhere down the hall, so he presumed that Lea had helped Kairi get into whatever locked room she needed to be in. And then Sora waited, And waited. And waited some more. 

Lea didn’t return. 

Did he take a wrong turn? Sora wondered, letting out a quiet groan and looking around the hallway at the remains of the skirmish and the numerous doors and pathways before him. 

He had to get to Riku. He had no idea where to look, but he had to get to Riku.

He gritted his teeth and used the wall as a support. 

If he could just— 

His foot moved. Slow, and staggering, but it moved. 

Sora would make it. He had to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write, especially the scenes of Riku convincing Sora to come back. I hope you enjoyed!


	15. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kairi finally confronts the man who had set her on this path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! I totally meant to finish posting this before Re:mind came out and here were are almost there. I hope you enjoy! :D

Kairi growled as she rammed her whole body against the door she just saw Xehanort go through before locking it behind him. 

It didn’t even budge. 

“Dammit!” she shouted, holding out her keyblade instead, a beam of pure light emerging from it, but that, too, did nothing. 

She groaned in frustration. For once her heart and head were in agreement. She was going to get him this time. She was going to defeat Xehanort. Then she would go home. She had a plan. 

And this stupid door was in her way. 

“Lea!” she shouted, hoping her friend could hear her. “Lea! I need you! He’s getting away!” 

She continued to try and ram her body against the door, despite the pain that radiated from her side whenever she tried. 

She felt hands pull her away from the door before a bright hot fireball slammed into it, burning away whatever magic prevented her from opening it on her own and blazing through the door completely. 

Lea held out his hand, and she nodded her thanks before darting through the smoldering remains of the door frame. 

She flew down the stairs, her feet barely touching the ground. 

She didn’t even see the trap until it was right on top of her. 

Before she reached the landing, darkness covered her gaze as if she had been suddenly blindfolded. She let out a startled shout and reached up to try and remove the blinding spell, but something sharp pierced her side as she did, and she couldn’t stop another cry from escaping her throat. Her feet missed the last step, and she tumbled to the ground. 

“So, the dead Princess has returned at last.” 

Kairi growled, twisting on the ground until she was sitting up. Her ankle ached, and her wrist stung when she tried to put pressure on it. But the most troubling thing was the painful wound in her side that was steadily bleeding. 

_ Did he stab me with a knife? _ Out of all the things she had expected Xehanort to be, a dishonorable backstabber wasn’t one of them. She muttered an Esuna spell, the blindness coming away to reveal the man in front of her. If she was going to die, it wasn’t going to be bleeding out in the dark. “You know who I am?”

Xehanort scoffed. “While others may willfully ignore it, and the spell the little witch cast on you to make people forget hasn’t worn off, your blade is the most recognizable bit about you. Destiny’s Embrace, correct? Your Grandmother’s blade.” 

Kairi gritted her teeth, pressing her free hand against the wound in her side and stood up. “Yes. The blade I’m going to finish you with.” She wondered about his other comment. 

_ A little witch cast a spell on me? Does he mean Naminé? _She had wondered why no one had seemed to recognize her when she was younger, and she used that to her advantage to stay hidden and train. But… was that why Xehanort had taken Naminé in the first place? Because he hadn’t recognized Kairi for who she was? 

Xehanort smirked, distracting her from her thoughts. She could ask Naminé later.

“That knife was poisoned,” Xehanort said, raising his own keyblade. “But I suppose we can see how long you can stand, Princess.”

Tightening her grip, Kairi readied her blade. She tried to whisper a Heal spell, but whatever Xehanort had poisoned her with had affected her mana and she must have used whatever was left on the Esuna. She barely felt the twinge in her wrist ease up a bit, and her ankle still ached. The wound in her side continued to bleed sluggishly. 

Whatever. Kairi would defeat this man. After that, whatever happened would happen. 

“Well, Princess?”

“Kairi,” she groaned out, gathering her strength. 

“Hm?”

“My name is Kairi.” The words were clear and strong. “My name is Kairi. You killed my Grandmother! Prepare to die!” 

Kairi struck, meeting Xehanort’s blade with her own, the ring of metal echoing around the empty room. She raised her blade and struck again. “My name is Kairi! You killed my Grandmother! Prepare to die!”

“Stop saying that!” Xehanort struck with his own blade but Kairi was prepared for it and she parried. She couldn’t move much due to her ankle, but she could parry just fine from her current position. “You are just a stupid girl with a revenge complex.”

“I am Princess Kairi of the Kingdom of Light!” Kairi roared. “You killed my Grandmother on the palace grounds of Radiant Garden! I have searched for you for years and now you will prepare. To. Die!” 

She stepped forward, flinching in pain, but she took a breath, trying to fight through it. 

“Heal!” 

Kairi gasped as the twinge in her wrist subsided, her ankle finally supporting her full weight. She looked over for the source of the spell, finding a young blue-haired woman near the room’s entrance, a taller man with dark brown hair and a shorter blond by her side. The woman had a keyblade out, while the men summoned their own keyblades, ready to join in any second. 

“I got this!” Kairi shouted at them, halting their attempts at helping. “I can do this.” 

“Confidence will get you nowhere,” Xehanort growled, raising his blade to strike again. 

Kairi smirked, raising her own blade to meet Xehanort’s. As soon as she felt it hit, she summoned Oathkeeper. “It’s _your _confidence that will get you killed. Or did you forget that I’m the only descendant of two Kingdom of Light keyblade lines?” She swung Oathkeeper out, finally landing a decent hit into Xehanort’s side. 

The man let out a grunt as he fell but quickly parried her next blow. He couldn’t block her second blade though, and she knocked his keyblade from his hand. 

She saw the anger and resignation in his eyes. She held out her keyblade. “Surrender.” 

Xehanort coughed weakly and stood up, clutching a hand to his injured side. “Years of searching and you’re going to just accept my surrender?” 

“Hardly.” Kairi gripped her keyblade tighter. “But I’m giving you a chance.” 

Xehanort scoffed, and in a flash summoned his own blade back into his hand, ready to cut her down. 

Kairi fired off a burst of light magic without really thinking of it. But she felt the power behind it, the power of generations of keyblade wielders before her. 

It burned through Xehanort’s heart, wiping away every whisp of darkness he held. Without that darkness, there was very little left. The man dropped to the floor, weak and dying. 

Kairi glared at him for a moment longer before turning and walking away. She hoped that would be the last time she would have to use her keyblade in such a way. 

“Are you okay?”

Kairi gasped and glanced up at the blue-haired woman who had healed her earlier. “I— uh—” 

She noticed the thin circlet around the woman’s brow, a humble but distinctive show of rank. A spark of fear landed in Kairi’s heart as she realized the blue-haired woman must be the Crown Princess. 

Was Kairi in trouble now for killing another King? Would this set off the war she had fought so hard to— 

“Well, that takes care of that problem.” 

Kairi blinked at the blond at the Crown Princess’s side. He looked to be about her age and reminded her of Sora a bit. “Er— You’re not— I mean, you’re not mad that I—”

“Uh, trust me, I don’t think any of us _wanted _to ally with him,” the older man stated, letting his keyblade disappear with a flash of light. “We were worried about a war with Radiant Garden though.”

“My Kingdom doesn’t want a war!” Kairi protested. “We were worried—”

“Yes, we understand now,” the woman said, offering Kairi a grin. “My name is Aqua. This is Terra and Ven.” She pointed to the brunet and blond in turn. 

A little confused, Kairi bowed politely. “My name is Kai— er, Princess Kairi. I guess?”

Aqua laughed. “You guess? You don’t sound as sure as you did a few moments ago.” 

Kairi thought back to what she had shouted at Xehanort. The moment she had shouted her true title… she had felt something change at that moment. As if accepting her position and her responsibility made her stronger. She couldn’t back down now. “I am Princess Kairi of the Kingdom of Light.” 

“Well met, Your Highness.” 

Kairi gasped and glanced up at the top of the stairs where a regal man stared down at her. His eyes were kind, though. He descended the stairs a little shakily, and Terra ran up to help him down the rest of the way. 

“Your Majesty,” Kairi greeted with another, deeper bow. This had to be Eraqus, King of the Kingdom of Heart. 

Eraqus and Terra joined them on the landing, and he nodded at her in acknowledgement. Then he turned his attention to the dying man on the floor. “Help me over there, Terra.” 

“But Master—” Terra protested but fell silent when Eraqus turned to look at him. Instead, he did as asked and assisted the King over to where Xehanort was breathing laboriously. After a long moment of hesitation, the two of them staring at each other, Eraqus groaned as he sat next to Xehanort on the cold brick floor. 

“I know you’ve been poisoning me,” Eraqus began. “I should have known it the minute the kidnappers took Riku from the King’s Forest. I would have never dropped the barrier if I had been in my right mind.” 

“Were you ever in your right mind?” Xehanort grumbled. 

“Evidently not if I trusted you so easily,” Eraqus said, looking away from Xehanort and to the floor. “Which is why, once all this has been settled, I’ll pass the crown onto Aqua. I’m not fit to rule if I let nostalgia and old memories blind my judgment.” 

“Master!”

“Master, you can’t—” 

Kairi stepped out of the way as Aqua and Ven joined Terra in supporting Eraqus, all three of them keeping their distance from Xehanort. 

“Master, you’re still an amazing King. I’m not—” Aqua was cut off when Eraqus placed his hand over hers. 

“You’re more than ready. And I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here to advise you if you would like. But my heart is no longer fit to rule the Kingdom of Heart. I have to pass it on to someone who's heart is.” 

Aqua still looked unsure but she nodded. Terra placed his hand on her shoulder, and Ven hovered near her side. 

Kairi backed up into the corner, knowing that she was intruding, but unable to look away. She still wasn’t exactly sure what had happened between Eraqus and Xehanort, but obviously, something had broken their friendship beyond repair. 

But now that they were talking, she found that she had questions. “What was the point of this wedding, if you were just going to have us kidnap and kill Riku anyway?” 

Xehanort scoffed and didn’t answer her question. 

After a quiet moment, Eraqus sighed. “More backup plans for your backup plans? I presume if the kidnappers hadn’t done it, you would have forced your heir to do it? Death of the Prince groom so close to a wedding would have surely caused the war you said you were hoping to prevent. Tell me, old friend, was it worth it? 

Xehanort coughed. “It would have been. Uniting the three kingdoms—” 

“They were never meant to be united like this,” Eraqus said, still kind, even to an evil King. “I’m sorry that I was unable to see through your manipulations earlier. I let our old friendship blind me to what you had become. But for what it’s worth, I will mourn what you were once.” 

Kairi didn’t think Xehanort deserved those words of comfort, but she figured they were said more to ease the ache in the Eraqus’s own heart. She didn’t know the story there, but she wondered if the old King was mourning the loss of an old friend just as much as she had mourned her Grandmother. 

But she also knew that Xehanort had been lost to the darkness in his heart long ago. 

With one last shaky exhale, the King of the Badlands stopped breathing. With some help from his adopted children, Eraqus stood and looked at her. “I presume you are the cause of the wedding disruptions.”

“I— well—” Kairi shrugged. “We brought Sora too.”

Eraqus looked troubled. “It would be best for us to find him before Vanitas does. We can figure out what to do afterward.” 

Kairi nodded in agreement. “We've gotta find Riku then. That’s where Sora is gonna be.” 

They let her lead the way out of the room and back up the stairs. She clenched her keyblades tighter. The fight was not yet over. With the death of Xehanort, Vanitas was now King of the Badlands. Who knows what he would do to Sora in order to keep Riku by his side. 


	16. Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sora and Riku finally, _finally_ reunite. (And probably have to deal with a certain prince...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! The next part's an epilogue and will be posted tomorrow! Thank you to all who came on this journey with me! I hope you enjoyed it! :D

Riku swallowed against the bile in his throat as he walked back to his room. 

Sora hadn’t shown up. 

There was no evidence of the battle they had clearly heard from the chapel, even over Pastor Pooh Bear’s repeated mispronunciation of ‘Marriage’. No guards on the ground, no invasion force read to whisk Riku away from this living nightmare. 

Had he just imagined it? 

But he _knew _he had heard it. Knew that the other guests at the sham wedding had turned in alarm. Knew that Aqua and Terra had left halfway through to check on the commotion, Ven following them shortly afterward. The sounds had captured Riku’s full attention, he had barely been able to pay attention to the ceremony. He had closed his eyes, focused on trying to hear Sora’s triumphant cries above the noise. 

But another voice had cut through all that. Pastor Bear’s voice announcing that he and Vanitas were married. 

“What?!” Riku had cried. Surely that couldn’t have been it. He thought back, had he even said ‘I do’? 

He didn’t have time to _think _as everyone was rushing out the door, Xehanort leading the way. Possibly to also find the source of the sounds. Vanitas had taken Riku’s arm and practically dragged him out into the hallway. 

“Go wait in the room!” Vanitas shouted, glancing down the hallway where Xehanort had disappeared. “I’ll be there shortly.”

And so Riku was left alone in the hallway, numbly making his way back to his rooms. 

Was this it? What if Sora was truly gone this time? 

Riku shook his head. It was impossible. He had thought that once, and Sora had shown up out of thin air, lifting his heart and his soul. He would know if Sora was really gone. 

He remembered the sharp pain he had felt. As if a connection had been broken. 

Riku shook his head. No. It was impossible. Sora was alive. 

But this time, Riku would have to be the one to find him. 

Heart decided, his steps picked up, though he bypassed Vanitas’s room completely, the one he knew his new ‘husband’ had meant. There was nothing in there Riku wanted. Instead, he headed towards his own room. He would leave all this wedding finery behind and just take his old shirt and pants. Maybe Vanitas would believe that he had been kidnapped again in the commotion. Or carried off and killed. Riku didn’t care. 

Xehanort couldn’t say that they didn’t have an alliance. Riku fulfilled his end of the bargain. The wedding was done, and Riku was done keeping promises to that man or his heir. 

His steps picked up even more until he was running, not wanting to waste a moment. He would find out what happened to Sora. Riku would find him even if he had to traverse into the underworld itself. 

The same pack he had first carried with him when he arrived for training sat near his desk and Riku opened it up, quickly filling it with whatever supplies that were in sight, including items he could sell on the road. He quickly grabbed some paper and pen, debating whether to write a letter to Terra now or later. He figured he should probably explain himself, but he was in a bit of a hurry. Maybe he could send it later. When he knew Xehanort and Vanitas were far away. 

He had just written the first line when he heard a soft snore behind him. 

Letting out a gasp, Riku turned around. 

His heart sprang to life when he saw the spiky brown hair, muddied and torn clothing, and a beautiful sleeping face. Long lashes laid gently against soft cheeks, lips wide in a gentle smile before they opened again to let out yet another loud snore. 

Riku choked on a mixture of a sob and a laugh. It was Sora. Sora _had _come. 

He had just fallen asleep!

Riku ran to the bed, leaning over it and brushing Sora’s hair away from his face. Sora shifted into the touch, sighing out a mumbled “Riku.” 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Riku murmured quietly, leaning down to kiss Sora’s forehead. 

Instantly, the broken connection between them flared to life once more. Riku gasped at the sensation. He never realized how comforting that connection, that love was until it was gone. 

Sora let out a gasp as he woke up. Curiously though, Sora made no motion to touch or hold Riku. Frowning, Riku pulled away. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, raising his hand again to brush it over Sora’s face. “Why aren’t you moving?”

Sora sleepily nuzzled into Riku’s hand. “It’s a long story. I used up all my energy just to get here… then I felt tired.” 

Riku chuckled, leaning down once more to kiss Sora’s cheek. Pulling away, Riku forgot the battle that might be raging somewhere in the castle, forgot about whatever invading force there was. 

He could touch Sora now. Could hold him close and breathe him in, relaxing into Sora’s scent and comforting presence. A tension Riku had been carrying for years eased. Sora was here now, in Riku’s arms and by his side. 

Riku was never going to leave him again. 

“Why are you out of energy?” Riku laid beside Sora, wrapping an arm around his waist. “How are you here?”

“Yes, that’s a question I’d like to know as well.” 

Riku jerked up, summoning his keyblade before he even thought about it. He was about to jump out of the bed and strike at Vanitas, but he felt Sora’s warm hand cover his own, the brunet shaking his head softly. 

Did Sora have a plan?

“It’s a long story,” Sora repeated, louder for Vanitas’s benefit. “Coming back from that place is no easy task, but I was lucky that I had Riku’s light to guide me.” 

Vanitas’s eyes shifted between the two of them. “You’re wrong, Riku belongs with me. In the darkness.” 

Riku’s grip tightened on his keyblade. “Like hell.” 

“Riku belongs to himself.” Sora’s voice rose, echoing around the chamber. “And I’ll fight for his right to do what he wants.” 

At the words, Vanitas’s blade was in his hands. “Was that a challenge? To the death then?” 

“No!” Sora shouted and it was the first time in a long while Riku had heard his beloved truly angry. Sora was more the type to get frustrated before he got truly pissed. 

Now though… even Riku himself wouldn’t be able to cool that rage. 

“We’ll fight to the pain,” Sora said, though he remained nearly motionless on the bed. 

Vanitas hesitated.

Riku could practically read the other’s expression, so open without the mask to cover it. Indecision and bravado fighting for control, and beneath that, a thick layer of fear and uncertainty. What was Vanitas afraid of? Xehanort? Or Riku and Sora? 

“What the hell does that mean?” Vanitas finally questioned, evidently curiosity winning out over stubborn ignorance. 

“To the pain means I’ll fight until I leave you with the same hurt you left me in. Where your heart feels like it’s breaking. Like it’s made of glass and porcelain. I’ll force it apart until you’re left with just the shadows of yourself. And I know you. There’s not enough love in your heart to put yourself back together again. So you’ll just be left here, miserable and alone and forced to know every day of your life that you’ll have to live with a broken heart.” Sora’s voice never rose to a shout, remaining at a steady clear whisper, though the room reverberated with his threat. Sora meant every word. 

Riku felt a bit of fear, not of Sora, but of the words he had said. A broken heart? Is that what had happened to him? What that sharp pain was? 

Riku raised his blade once more. “If he doesn’t manage to do it, Vanitas, I will.” 

Vanitas glanced between them, his face an open book of warring emotions. 

“I think you’re both bluffing.” Golden eyes narrowed at Sora’s prone form. “He can’t even leave the bed. He said so himself. He’s out of energy.” 

“That’s true,” Sora admitted quietly. “I’m so weak I might have to have Riku carry me out of here. I barely returned to life an hour ago. It’s possible that you can overwhelm us both. But… I also have Riku by my side now, so perhaps I have the strength after all. ” 

Sora let out a low grunt as he suddenly began to stand. The movements were slow but steady and soon he had one foot on the ground. Then another. He stood, back straight. There were twin flashes of light in his hands as he summoned two blades and held them out to Vanitas’s throat. “Drop. Your. Blade.” 

Vanitas had let go of his keyblade before Sora finished the final word. He raised his hands in a clear surrender even as he glared at both of them. 

Sora jerked the darker of the two blades at the Riku’s desk chair. “Have a seat. We need to chat.” 

Riku furrowed his brow, opening his mouth to ask a question but before he could get the words out, another voice cut him off. 

“Sora! Sora are you— Oh, hey!” 

Riku turned towards the door, surprised to find that the voice was familiar. His former kidnapper, Kairi, stood there, looking a little bedraggled, but with a bright smile on her face. The smile faded though when she noticed Vanitas in the chair and she quickly summoned her own blade, the one Riku remembered from the forest. 

“Shall I dispatch him for you?” 

“No, no, I still want to talk with him for a moment.” 

“I suggest we make it quick though.” Yet another voice came from the hall. “Before Xehanort’s guards discover their king’s body.” 

Terra, Aqua, and Ven came into the doorway as well. 

“King Eraqus is holding them off for now, but—” 

“You got him?” Sora interrupted. 

At the same time, Vanitas let out a gasp. “You… Xehanort’s dead?”

Kairi nodded simply. “And I can do the same to you, so don’t get any id—” she cut herself off when Vanitas shook with laughter. 

“I— I wanted to kill him myself, but you—” He let out another peal of laughter, and Riku wasn’t sure if it was in grief or joy. 

“Uh… Riku?” 

Riku looked over at Sora, just in time to catch his beloved before Sora fell to the ground. “Woah? Sora?!”

“He’s fine, he’s just weak,” Kairi said, still keeping an eye on Vanitas. 

Ven had walked over, laying a gentle hand on Vanitas’s shoulder. Slowly, the darker haired boy’s laughs faded, and he reached up, laying his own hand on top of Ven’s. 

“I’m okay,” Sora reassured Riku. “Can you…uh. I might need to sit down for a minute. I still need to ask Vanitas something.”

“What can you possibly—”

“Trust me?”

Sora’s blue eyes bored into Riku’s own, and Riku nodded. 

“Okay.” 

A second chair was located, and Terra placed it in front of Vanitas. Riku helped Sora into it. Sora shook his head, evidently trying to get rid of the last shreds of sleep, before he opened his eyes and offered Vanitas a surprisingly gentle smile.

“I forgive you.” 

Again, Riku found himself confused, especially when Vanitas’s breath hitched in shock, gold eyes widening. 

“Why? I—”

“Because I can understand. What you said, about me taking away your last chance at happiness. That’s how I felt towards you when Riku chose to return to the castle with you.” 

Riku swallowed around a dry throat, reaching out hesitantly, and only feeling the tension disappearing when Sora instantly took his hand. 

“But I understand why Riku did it. Just as I understand why you did. It doesn’t make it right, and it’s certainly not the actions of a future king—” 

“I don’t want—” Vanitas started, before glancing around the room. He seemed to shrink in his chair. “I don’t want that crown. It’s not even mine anymore. After you two beat me, both of you became the heir to the Badlands.”

“Huh?” Ven asked, looking up at Aqua. “Is that—”

She nodded. “Yes. I’ve heard that’s how it is. Only the strongest is King. When Kairi defeated Xehanort, technically she became the queen of the Badlands, but I don’t think—”

“I surrender to Riku and Sora,” Kairi said quickly, holding her hands up. “I certainly don’t want it.” 

“Then it’s rightfully Sora and Riku’s. I think.” Aqua looked thoughtful, turning to Vanitas. “Is that correct?”

Vanitas shrugged but nodded. “It’s good enough. But they’ll never accept you. No Badlands King has ever been defeated on foreign soil. I’m not sure—” 

“Can I offer a solution?” 

The suggestion came from Sora. 

Sora took a deep breath before continuing. “All I want is to live with Riku in peace. But... I also know in my heart that Riku was born to lead—”

“Sora!” Riku stated but Sora squeezed his hand, cutting off further protests. 

“I know that news has already reached the Badlands of your marriage. And I’ve already had enough confusion with most of the public thinking that I’m you.” Sora tilted his head. “So, what about a trade? My life for yours.” 

Vanitas’s brow furrowed. “Your… life?”

Sora’s grin widened. “Well, there always needs to be a Dread Pirate Sparrow, and I have no desire to be that anymore. Not when I have Riku back. So… you up for the job?” 

Vanitas blinked several times, obviously in shock at the offer. 

Riku thought it was crazy. He didn’t know the first thing about running a country, and he knew that Sora understood politics even less. There was no way—

“That might be the best solution for all.” 

Eraqus’s voice rang out as he, too, entered the room. 

“If what I overheard is true, Sora and Riku are indeed the true kings of the Badlands.” Eraqus regarded both of them. “And considering the overly hasty wedding today, I don’t see how Vanitas has a claim on the throne anymore in his own right.”

“Huh?” Apparently, this was Riku’s day for just being confused. 

“We never actually said the ‘I do’ part,” Vanitas muttered. “Xehanort made the chubby pastor skip past all that.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned on Riku. “Oh! So, we’re not married!” 

Even though Riku would have run off with Sora regardless of what was decided here tonight, those words were somehow still comforting. His life would always belong to Sora, no matter what. He turned to find Sora staring fondly at him. Riku grinned and leaned in, pressing his forehead to Sora’s. 

“Well?” Sora asked, breaking away from Riku to grin at Vanitas once more. “Being a pirate captain is a tough job, but I think you’re just right for it.” 

“I—” The indecision and fear slowly faded from Vanitas’s face, and he let out a smirk. “Do I have to wear that stupid hat?”

“Hey!” Sora protested. “I like my hat.” 

Riku couldn’t help but laugh, leaning into Sora’s warmth. Everything was going to be okay. He would still have to leave his home, but he would have Sora at his side. 

It was a worthwhile trade. 

“Kairi! Hey!!”

“Lea?!” 

Kairi rushed to the window and glanced out. “What the— Ienzo, too? And Naminé? And— who are—”

“Is Riku there?”

Riku’s head shot up, recognizing that voice. “Xion?” He rushed to the window. 

Sitting on five white Pegaslicks and Electricorns, and leading several more mounts behind them, were Riku’s other kidnappers, the ones he had known as Axel and Zexion. Xion was there as well, and next to her was a sullen blond that was a spitting image of Ven. Riku even had to glance back inside to make sure the blond was still there. 

“I know! It’s weird, right?” Xion called up, raising her voice louder and pointing at the blond beside her. “Roxas and Ven look a lot alike.”

“Who?” Ven crowded the window as well. “Oh man, that’s weird.” 

“It’s weirder from this angle,” the other blond, Roxas, shouted back. 

“What are you doing here?” Riku called down. 

“I promised I’d be back for your wedding didn’t I?” Xion exclaimed. “I just didn’t think I’d be helping you escape from it.” 

“Do you need back up, Kairi?” Lea shouted up. “We can—”

“We've got it covered!” Kairi shouted down. “Just— Er— Wait one second.” 

“I suggest you all make your escape while we deal with Xehanort’s remaining guards,” Eraqus said. “In fact, escape through the window might be your best bet at this point. I couldn’t hold them off from scouring the castle to look for Sora and Kairi.” 

“Right.” 

Kairi ducked out the window first, leaping to the ground gracefully before running to embrace Naminé who had dismounted to hug her back. Riku saw his blond friend gesture eagerly to her wrist, and in the dim moonlight, Riku realized that she was no longer wearing the bracelet she'd had been wearing before.. Judging by the shouts of glee, this must have been a good thing. He saw Xion’s smile widen in fondness at Naminé’s enthusiasm. 

“You next,” Sora whispered. “You can catch me.” 

Riku nodded, only reaching back to grab the pack he had haphazardly thrown things into just minutes earlier. There was still a change of clothes in there, and Riku wanted out of this wedding stuff as soon as possible. 

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and he turned to find Terra smiling at him. Riku let out a grin of his own, along with a short bow. “Master Terra.” 

“King Riku.” Terra bowed back, much lower, then stood up with a smirk. “We will see you again soon. I promise.” 

Riku nodded in agreement and was suddenly drawn into a hug by the older man. He would miss this camaraderie, but he knew that this goodbye wasn’t forever.

He nodded his goodbyes to Aqua and Ven as well, before leaping out the window. He debated shouting something as he fell. Something along the lines of ‘I’m free!’.

But he had felt that emotion long before now when he had made the decision to leave on his own. To shout it now seemed redundant. 

He passed his backpack off to Xion who leaned over to attach it to Riku’s own Electricorn while Riku turned back to the window. Sora stared down at him, blue eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. 

He looked so beautiful. 

Sora jumped, or at least, he tried to. His foot caught the edge of the windowsill, and Sora fell out the window, letting out a startled squawk as he did so. Riku opened his arms and managed to catch him all the same. 

Sora let out a startled “Oof!” before chuckling and gazing up at Riku. “You’ll always catch me. Right?”

“Always,” Riku promised. 

“Is that everyone?” the red-haired man asked, Lea or Axel or whatever he was calling himself now. 

“Not quite, there’s one more—” 

Vanitas landed heavily, but soundly. He crossed his arms as he stood, not looking any of them in the eye. 

Lea instantly summoned a fireball, getting ready to throw it before Kairi caught his arm. 

“It’s okay. He’s a… tolerable evil prince of darkness now.” 

Lea raised an eyebrow in confusion, glancing between the four of them. “You’re gonna have to fill me in on that one.” 

Kairi laughed. “I’ll bring you up to speed on our way to— uh— how are we gonna escape quickly?”

“We’ll go to my ship,” Sora said, motioning without words for Riku to help him up onto a horse. Riku situated Sora on his own Electricorn before swinging onto the saddle behind him. “We’ll spend the time that Vanitas and Riku were supposed to spend on some sort of honeymoon training Vanitas how to be the Dread Pirate Sparrow, and he can show me how to be a Prince of the Badlands.” 

“... this had better make sense later, Kairi,” Lea whispered loudly, and Kairi muffled her laughter behind her hand. 

“Oh... “ 

Naminé had been quiet as they had all gotten situated on their respective mounts, but now she looked back at Vanitas in both curiosity and concern. “Vanitas… I—” 

She looked down at her now bare wrist, her fists clenching in her own resolve. “The King… Xehanort. He— He used me— Used my powers. I was forced to— to place a spell on that boy— the boy on the farm. Your friend.” 

Vanitas’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Yeah? What kind of spell?” 

“A memory charm. A strong one,” Naminé grew more confident as she talked. “I rewrote his memories so that... his affections were placed on me rather than, uh, elsewhere.” 

She looked away for a moment towards Xion who nodded in encouragement, then she turned back to Vanitas. “I would like to remove that charm. The last bit of magic that Xehanort made me do. And I think you should be there when I do that.”

Vanitas looked uncertain. “If he’d even—”

“Trust me. He’ll want you there.” 

Vanitas didn’t look so sure, but he nodded all the same. 

Riku felt another knot in his heart come untangled. Despite what had happened in the last few days, he really did mean it when he hoped Vanitas would have a second chance. And given Naminé’s confidence in the matter, it sounded like he would have it. 

They rode until the sun crested over the horizon, the dawn of a new day. A promise of a new beginning. The others rode ahead while Riku pulled his Electricorn to a stop. 

Sora frowned, looking back at him. “What’s wrong?”

Riku watched as the sunrise affected Sora’s eyes, darkening and deepening them, his lips looking rosier. “Nothing. I just… I wanted to treasure the moment.” 

—-

_ And that’s it! Happy ending for all. Definitely, nothing else to see here. _

_ What? _

_ Oh… you wanted a kiss, did you? Well... I suppose that since this was the one that T. Nomura left in. I suppose I should keep it in as well. _

—

“I just want to treasure the moment.” 

Sora turned in the saddle to face him, raising a hand to Riku’s cheek. Its warmth sent another wave of relief through Riku. This was real. They had done it. They were together again. 

Riku leaned in, and as always, Sora was ready to meet him halfway. When Riku placed his lips on Sora’s in the pink haze of the sunrise, the bright light of their love outshone the sun itself. It was soft and sweet, a surprisingly gentle press of lips after such an ordeal. Sora’s hand moved to thread itself through Riku’s hair, while Riku’s arms wrapped around Sora’s waist, holding him close and vowing to never let go again. 

In the history of true love, there had only been four or five kisses that had been ranked the purest, the most passionate. 

This one blew them all away.


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does happily ever after mean anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for coming on this journey with me! It was great and I hoped everyone enjoyed themselves! :D

And that, dear readers, really is the end. 

And as I stand up from the computer screen and stretch my back and neck, I can’t help but wonder if the story was true. It was presented as satire, true, but the Kingdoms of Light, Darkness, and Heart still exist today. There are even still rumors of a Dread Pirate Sparrow sailing on the sea between the three kingdoms. 

Well, fear not, dear reader. My five siblings also wondered, and given that they had nothing to do while I was stuck typing up the Good Parts version of this story, I sent them to the libraries and museums to do a little bit of research. 

Gula and Aced traveled to the Kingdom of Light Maritime Museum (and surprisingly left the museum as intact as they found it). They came back with a few scraps of the legends about the Dread Pirate Sparrow. The legends had persisted for centuries, and as I said, continue to this day, which lends truth to the idea that the title has been passed from pirate to pirate. 

Their biggest find though was the legend of a raven-haired Dread Pirate Sparrow that ruled the seas for a near-decade before disappearing. The legends also tell of his silver-haired first mate who was never far from his side. Both of them were as ruthless to their enemies as they were kind to their friends. 

Ava was sent to the Radiant Garden archives and discovered a few mentions in the old history texts of a young Queen who came into power just as the country was on the brink of a civil war. She led her Kingdom back towards peace with strength and diplomacy, willing to listen to any complaints and worked towards fixing the problems that had nearly ruined her country. There is very little else that is written about her rule, only that she served as Queen well into her old age. Ava assures me that this means that the Queen’s rule was peaceful and likely prosperous, but it honestly just sounds boring to me. 

But perhaps one of the best scraps of information that lends truth to this tale was the brief manuscript written by some scribe whose name is now lost to history. Ira managed to uncover this short document under piles and piles of old papers and books at the library of the Badlands. It was an account of two Kings who joint-ruled over the Badlands for a time, setting the Kingdom of Darkness on a road to dawn. Their rule helped transform the kingdom from a realm of pure darkness and emotional repression to one of learning and advancement. 

It also seemed that they helped unite the three Kingdoms, not under one monarchy as Xehanort had wished to do, but under the light of friendship and trust. Perhaps the Kings of the Badlands, the Queen of Radiant Garden, and the Queen of the Kingdom of Heart managed to remain friends for their entire lives. Under them, the world entered an era of peace. 

And perhaps they had assistance from a fire mage, a memory witch, a couple of keyblade wielders and maybe a pirate or two. 

Invi though, who had been left with me to both decipher the old text the others sent back and to ‘_make sure I stayed on task_’, still believes the tale to be entirely made up. A fairy tale. 

Ava, Gula and I choose to believe that this fairy tale is true, while Aced, Ira, and Invi still see it as the satire T. Nomura presented it as. But, whatever we think, I suppose the truth in the matter is left up to you. 

Mom insisted that we let out hearts be our guiding key. Do whatever seems right to you, dear reader. Go forth with your own ideas, and believe in them with your whole heart. 

Find and protect what matters most. 

_ ~End~ _

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the awesome [ art](https://twitter.com/Tesereil/status/1191194066270248961) that [ Tesereil](https://twitter.com/Tesereil) created! ❤❤❤
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! 
> 
> Also, feel free to follow me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/Green_eggs101) I post sneak peeks and snippets of upcoming fics and chapters! 😁


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